Tempe Man Sentenced to 48 Months for Importation of Fentanyl into the U.S.

Charles King Jr., 49, of Tempe, Arizona, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Scott H. Rash to 48 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. King Jr. previously pleaded guilty to importing fentanyl into the United States from Mexico.

On February 20, 2020, King Jr. entered the United States from Mexico through the DeConcini Nogales, Arizona port of entry. A Customs and Border Protection canine alerted to the vehicle that King Jr. was riding in, and officers discovered nearly 11 pounds of fentanyl carefully hidden in the drive shaft of the vehicle.

Customs and Border Protection completed the interdiction and Homeland Security Investigations – Nogales conducted the investigation. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.