Man hid meth in child booster seats in delivery from California to Topeka, feds say
A man was sentenced Monday to more than four years in federal prison for hiding 15 pounds of crystal methamphetamine in his car, including in two child booster seats, as he moved the drugs from California to Topeka.
Israel Felix Garcia, of Mexico, was a passenger in a vehicle driven by his girlfriend that was stopped in October 2018 on Interstate 70 in Wabaunsee County, Kansas, by a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper.
Inside, the trooper found five green bundles wrapped in plastic in the booster seats, according to federal prosecutors. The drugs were also found hidden under the rear window deck.
Garcia, 32, told investigators he was being paid $400 a bundle to drive the drugs from California to Topeka, where he was to meet someone and move the meth to another vehicle, according to court documents.
Speaking through a Spanish interpreter, Garcia told investigators the trip was his first, court records show. He indicated he was moving the drugs because he needed extra money to pay for his newborn daughter’s medical expenses.
Garcia said his girlfriend and two children, who were in the backseat, did not know about the meth.
He pleaded guilty in April to possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
