MUSKOGEE, Okla. - A Mexican national who had previously been removed from the United States twice has been sentenced to 78 months in federal prison after an Oklahoma Highway Patrol traffic stop uncovered nearly 2 pounds of pure fentanyl.

Adrian Alcantar-Sanchez, 46, also known as Pedro Ruiz-Betancur, was sentenced on one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of unlawful reentry after removal.

Chief U.S. District Judge John F. Heil III sentenced Alcantar-Sanchez to 78 months on each charge, with the sentences running concurrently.

The case began March 29, 2025, when an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper conducted a traffic stop along Interstate 40 in Sequoyah County.

Investigators said Alcantar-Sanchez was found with 878.7 grams, or approximately 1.94 pounds, of pure fentanyl.

Alcantar-Sanchez had previously been removed from the United States on June 19, 2009, and again on April 6, 2012, according to federal prosecutors.

Authorities said he later returned to the United States without receiving permission from the Department of Homeland Security to reapply for admission. At the time of the fentanyl investigation, prosecutors said he was unlawfully present in McIntosh County.

Alcantar-Sanchez pleaded guilty to both federal charges on Nov. 14, 2025.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated the case.

Alcantar-Sanchez will remain in U.S. Marshals Service custody until he is transferred to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to serve his sentence.