RANKIN COUNTY, Miss (WJTV) – Two men have been sentenced in Mississippi after pleading guilty to trafficking fentanyl.

A judge sentenced 42-year-old Fredy Gutierrez, of California, and 51-year-old Gabriel Becerra Manuel, of Mexico, to 40 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC). The judge ordered that 10 of those years be served without the possibility of parole.

Rankin County deputies arrested the two men after stopping an MCI passenger bus on February 4, 2022. The deputy stopped the bus due to a traffic violation and discovered that Gutierrez and Manuel were the only two people on the bus.

Investigators said there were several inconsistencies in their travel plans and itinerary. During a search of the bus, deputies located 81 bundles of fentanyl powder inside the bathroom wall in the rear of the bus.

  • Fredy Gutierrez (Courtesy: Rankin Co. District Attorney’s Office)
  • Gabriel Becerra Manuel (Courtesy: Rankin Co. District Attorney’s Office)

Both men were arrested for trafficking fentanyl, and they were indicted on November 17, 2022.