Francisco Villa-Garcia, a 68-year-old Mexican national, has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison for importing over eight kilograms of fentanyl from Mexico into South Carolina. Villa-Garcia, who also used the names Francisco Villa-Dominguez, Andres Busto, and Jesus Pineda Dominguez, was living illegally in the United States after previously being deported in 2019.
According to investigators, Villa-Garcia re-entered the country around 2022. He arranged two shipments of what he believed to be heroin but was actually fentanyl. The drugs were valued at $45,000 per kilogram and intended for distribution by co-conspirators in Kingstree. Law enforcement set up a sting operation and apprehended those involved during the receipt of the second shipment.
Villa-Garcia’s criminal history includes convictions dating back to 1984 for offenses such as possession of cocaine, illegal reentry into the U.S., driving under the influence, hit and run causing injury, extortion, and sale of methamphetamine. His most recent deportation followed federal convictions in California for conspiracy to distribute cocaine and illegal reentry.
The court sentenced Villa-Garcia to 97 months in prison on his latest conviction and an additional concurrent sentence of 51 months for violating terms related to his previous convictions from 2005. Upon completion of his sentences, he will be deported to Mexico. Two co-defendants—Eriberto Navarro Lopez from Mexico City and Marone Lawatis Nesmith from Kingstree—have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
“This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).”
The FBI Columbia Field Office led the investigation with support from the Williamsburg County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Everett McMillian prosecuted the case.
