OCALA, Fla. — Edwin Tollinchi-Rodriguez, a 40-year-old federal inmate from Indiana, has landed in serious legal trouble after being found with a large quantity of nearly pure methamphetamine inside a Florida prison.
The U.S. Department of Justice revealed that Tollinchi-Rodriguez admitted to possessing over 236 grams of methamphetamine hydrochloride, which the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) confirmed to be 99% pure. The inmate now faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, with the possibility of life imprisonment. His sentencing date is yet to be set.
The incident took place on September 5, 2024, when a correctional officer at the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex in Sumter County discovered a wrapped package containing a white substance during a routine pat-down.
Tollinchi-Rodriguez told DEA agents that he was paid $500 to retrieve prohibited items from a prison shower and deliver them to another housing unit.
Within federal prisons, methamphetamine is considered a high-value item. Tollinchi-Rodriguez noted that even a small amount—about the size of a lip balm lid—can fetch $400 in the prison black market.
The case is being investigated jointly by the DEA and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
