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Fresno Drug Dealers Were So Dumb They Hatched Scheme on Jail Telephone

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Two Fresno brothers have entered guilty pleas in a fentanyl trafficking case. Their undoing: talking about the deal on a jail phone. (GV Wire File)
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It’s official: brothers Isaiah Garcia, 20, and Mario Garcia, 28, are headed to federal prison after admitting they hatched a plan to deal fentanyl.

On Monday, Isaiah Garcia pleaded guilty to conspiring with his brother in a fentanyl distribution plan foiled by local law enforcement.

That followed Mario Garcia’s guilty plea at Fresno’s federal courthouse in June.

Recorded Jail Phone Calls

According to court documents, Mario Garcia was in Fresno County Jail when he and his brother came up with the plan in late 2020.

Police uncovered the conspiracy by listening to their recorded jail telephone calls. Federal agents then searched Isaiah Garcia’s residence and found over 1,200 fentanyl pills inside his bedroom, a Department of Justice news release said.

Isaiah Garcia is scheduled for sentencing on Oct. 31, 2022; Mario Garcia’s sentencing date is Sept. 6, 2022. Both face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison.

Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email

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