Sacramento Man Sentenced to 14 Years for Mailing Meth to Chicago

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

A 54-year-old Sacramento man named Keith R. McCormick has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for coordinating over 200 shipments of high-purity methamphetamine to Chicago. McCormick mailed the packages, often containing a pound of meth that was 90-100% pure, to various neighborhoods in the city where local co-conspirators would then arrange for the drugs to be sold on the streets.

Why it matters

This case highlights the ongoing battle against the trafficking of hard drugs like methamphetamine, which can have devastating impacts on individuals and communities. The high purity of the meth shipped to Chicago is also concerning, as it increases the potency and danger of the substance. The involvement of a Sacramento-based supplier working with local Chicago distributors demonstrates the complex, multi-jurisdictional nature of these drug trafficking operations.

The details

According to prosecutors, McCormick would wear gloves, clean the packages with Clorox wipes, vacuum-seal the drugs, and double-box them in an effort to avoid detection when mailing the meth shipments from California. Nine of the parcels were intercepted and searched, yielding over 9 pounds of methamphetamine in total. In one incident, a package delivered to North Riverside was accidentally opened by a relative, revealing nearly 450 grams of meth with a purity of 97%.

• The conspiracy operated from at least February 2022 through early February 2023.
• In May 2022, a package delivered to North Riverside was accidentally opened, revealing nearly 450 grams of high-purity meth.

What’s next

Prosecutors say the investigation is ongoing and additional charges or arrests may follow as they continue to dismantle the drug trafficking network.