A federal inmate already serving time found himself in even deeper legal trouble after being caught with a stockpile of nearly pure methamphetamine inside a Florida prison—and now risks life in prison.
According to the US Department of Justice (DOJ), Edwin Tollinchi-Rodriguez, 40, of Indiana, acknowledged possessing more than 236 grams of methamphetamine hydrochloride, which the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) found to be 99% pure. He now faces a mandatory 10-year term, with the possibility of life in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
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According to the Department of Justice, the incident occurred on September 5, 2024, when a correctional officer at the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex in Sumter County performed a normal pat-down and discovered a wrapped package containing a white material. Tollinchi-Rodriguez later told DEA investigators that he was paid $500 to remove forbidden goods from a prison shower and transport them to another housing unit.
Inside federal prisons, methamphetamine is a valuable commodity. Tollinchi-Rodriguez indicated that even a small amount—enough to fit in a lip balm lid—can sell for $400, according to the news release.
The DEA and the Federal Bureau of Prisons examined the matter, according to the DOJ.
