Federal Inmate Pleads Guilty To Possessing With The Intent To Distribute Methamphetamine

Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Edwin Tollinchi-Rodriguez (40, Indiana) has pleaded guilty to one count of possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.  Tollinchi-Rodriguez faces a minimum term of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, Tollinchi-Rodriguez is an inmate at the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex in Sumter County. On September 5, 2024, a Federal Bureau of Prisons correctional officer conducted a pat-down search of Tollinchi-Rodriguez and discovered a wrapped-up package containing a white coagulated substance. The white substance was analyzed by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) laboratory and an analyst determined the substance to be methamphetamine hydrochloride. Given that the substance was 99% pure, Tollinchi-Rodriguez was in possession of approximately 236.6 grams of methamphetamine.

Tollinchi-Rodriguez told DEA agents that he was asked to collect some prohibited items from a shower at the prison for $500 and deliver the items to another housing unit at the prison the following day. On September 5, 2024, he collected the items, which included the methamphetamine. Tollinchi-Rodriguez also described how the amount of methamphetamine that ordinarily would fit in the lid of a lip balm container typically sells for $400 inside the prison. 

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson.