An El Salvadoran national, Jose Navarrete-Hernandez, 42, has been sentenced to 87 months in federal prison without parole for fentanyl trafficking, firearms offenses, and illegal entry into the United States. The sentencing was handed down by United States Senior District Judge M. Douglas Harpool in Springfield, Missouri.
Navarrete-Hernandez was convicted on May 12, 2025, after a one-day bench trial. He was found guilty of possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute, possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, possessing a firearm as an illegal alien, possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, and illegal entry into the country. The sentences for these offenses were ordered to run concurrently except for the 60-month sentence related to firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, which will be served consecutively.
The charges stem from a traffic stop conducted by Carthage Police Department officers on May 11, 2023. Officers stopped Navarrete-Hernandez’s vehicle due to an expired Texas license plate. A search revealed approximately 145 fentanyl pills along with two drug scales and glass pipes containing white powdery residue. Authorities also found two firearms—one with an obliterated serial number—and ammunition inside the vehicle. A forged social security card was also discovered during the search. At that time, Navarrete-Hernandez had entered the United States at a location other than a designated port of entry and was not a U.S. citizen or national.
“This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey Clark and Patrick Carney,” according to the release. “It was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Missouri State Highway Patrol; and the Carthage Police Department.”
The prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative aimed at addressing illegal immigration and dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri manages federal prosecutions across 66 counties from Iowa to Arkansas borders and maintains offices in Kansas City, Jefferson City and Springfield (official website). The office works closely with federal agencies as well as state and local law enforcement partners (official website). It addresses issues such as violent crime and drug trafficking through both legal action and community outreach programs (official website).
