Case With Two of Fresno's Dumbest Criminals Concludes With 5-Year Prison Sentence

By Bill McEwen, News Director

Published 2 years ago on

October 31, 2022

What could go wrong with planning a drug trafficking conspiracy over a Fresno County Jail telephone?

Well, if you are brothers Isaiah Garcia, 20, and Mario Garcia, 27, plenty did go wrong and now both will do time in federal prison.

Mario received a 12-and-a-half-year sentence on Oct. 11, and the case wrapped up Monday with Isaiah getting a five-year term, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced in a news release.

Agents Find 1,200 Fentanyl Pills in Bedroom

According to court documents, investigators uncovered the conspiracy by listening to their recorded jail telephone calls. During the calls, Mario advised his brother on how to store and deal his fentanyl pills and referred customers to him.

Federal agents then searched Isaiah Garcia’s residence and found more than 1,200 fentanyl pills inside his bedroom.

Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Fresno Police Department, and the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office teamed up on the probe.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin J. Gilio prosecuted the case.

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Bill McEwen,

News Director

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