SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – An El Salvadoran national has been sentenced in federal court for trafficking fentanyl, illegally possessing firearms, and unlawful entry to the United States.
Jose Navarrete-Hernandez, 42, was sentenced today by United States Senior District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 87 months in federal prison without parole.
Navarrete-Hernandez was found guilty of one count each of possessing fentanyl with the 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 United States following a one-day bench trial on May 12, 2025. Specifically, Navarrete-Hernandez was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute; 60 months for possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime; 27 months for possessing a firearm as an illegal alien; 27 months for possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number; and six months for illegal entry. All of the sentences were ordered to run concurrent to one another, except for the 60-month sentence, which was ordered to run consecutive to the other sentences.
On May 11, 2023, officers with the Carthage, Mo., Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a gray Ford F-250 with an expired Texas license plate driven by Navarrete-Hernandez. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed a black backpack containing two drug scales, two glass pipes with white powdery residue, approximately 145 fentanyl pills, a Heritage Rough Rider revolver, ammunition, and a forged social security card. Officers also found a Raven P-25 pistol with an obliterated serial number in the truck. At the time, Navarrete-Hernandez was not a citizen or national of the United States and had entered the United States at a place other than a designated port of entry.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey Clark and Patrick Carney. 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, Mo., Police Department.
Operation Take Back America
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.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Western District of Missouri — U.S. Department of Justice press release.