An Arizona man who traveled to McHenry County with his mother – smuggling 120,000 fentanyl pills stamped as oxycodone as alleged carriers for a Mexican cartel – was sentenced Tuesday to 13 years in prison.

German Vargas Jr., 34, of Tucson, pleaded guilty to possession of more than 200 grams of fentanyl, a Class 1 felony, according to an order signed by Judge Mark Gerhardt in McHenry County court.

Vargas and his mother, Gloria Gastelum, 55, were charged with with manufacturing and delivering 900 grams or more of fentanyl, which are Class X felonies, as well as possession of 200 grams or more of fentanyl, according to the criminal complaints. In exchange for Vargas’ guilty plea, the more serious Class X was dismissed, records show.

Last week, attorneys ordered a psychological evaluation for Gastelum, who is scheduled to have her case heard in a jury trial Oct. 27, records show. Attorneys raised a bonafide doubt about her mental fitness, the order said. She, like her son, has been in custody since the pair were arrested.

A day after their arrest on Aug. 7, 2024, by McHenry County Sheriff’s deputies, the pair made their first appearance before Judge Carl Metz who ordered they be detained pretrial.

Then-Assistant State’s Attorney Stephen Gregorowicz said at the time that Vargas and Gastelum lived near the Mexico-U.S. border in Arizona and drove “all over” the U.S. as carriers for a drug cartel in Sonora, Mexico.

They drove to McHenry County in a rented vehicle – common among drug smugglers aiming to elude police – after an arrangement was made between Gastelum and an undercover detective, according to authorities.

When arrested, authorities said, the mother and son were in the possession of 120,000 blue pills stamped as oxycodone that tested positive for fentanyl. The pills were packaged in 12 bundles of 10,000 pills each, officials alleged, and had a total weight of 12 kilograms. If sold for $15 per pill, the drugs would have a street value of $1.8 million, Gregorowicz said.

The couple “had enough to kill 120,000 people,” Gregorowicz said. Detectives said they found messages between Gastelum and a supplier in Mexico in which details of drug smuggling, like cash deliveries, maps and her compensation were discussed, with the fake pills referred to as “blues,” the prosecutor said. He alleged Gastelum has been a drug smuggler for two years and that she admitted to it.

Vargas owned a restaurant in Arizona where his mother worked, and they both are lifelong residents of Arizona, according to lawyers in the case.

Vargas, who waived his right to a jury trial Tuesday, is required to serve half his prison time followed by one year of mandatory supervised release. He is receiving credit for 433 days spent in county jail since his arrest in Marengo last year, the order shows.