El Paso Man Sentenced to 11 Years in Federal Prison for Fentanyl Distribution

Gary Everett Rinker, 56, has been sentenced to 130 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, following a joint investigation by the FBI and DEA.

According to court documents, Rinker was apprehended after selling approximately 200 pills containing 19.8 grams of fentanyl to a buyer at an El Paso hotel. The criminal complaint, filed on July 12, 2023, revealed that over a separate three-day period, Rinker also distributed quantities of counterfeit Oxycodone Hydrochloride 30 mg tablets, totaling around 55 grams of fentanyl.

Rinker, arrested in July 2023, pleaded guilty on November 1, 2023. His extensive drug-related criminal history dating back to 2007 played a significant role in the sentencing decision. U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas commented, “This defendant was a prominent fentanyl dealer in the El Paso community who will spend the next decade off our streets.”

The FBI El Paso Field Office, in collaboration with the Drug Enforcement Administration, emphasized the ongoing threat of fentanyl to communities. Special Agent in Charge John Morales stated, “FBI El Paso and our Drug Enforcement Administration partners will come after anyone supplying poison to innocent lives and bring them to justice.”

Towanda Thorne-James, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s El Paso Division, highlighted the proactive efforts of the Fentanyl Overdose Response Team (FORT). “By putting Mr. Rinker behind bars, FORT worked proactively to potentially save lives. Rinker was not the first fentanyl dealer targeted by our FORT, and he won’t be the last.”

The FBI and DEA collaborated in the investigation, reflecting the joint commitment to combatting the distribution of illicit substances in the community.