An Arizona woman who traveled to McHenry County with her son – smuggling 120,000 fentanyl pills labeled oxycodone as alleged carriers for a Mexican cartel – was sentenced Thursday to 17 years in prison.

Gloria Gastelum, 55, pleaded guilty to an amended charge of possession with intent to deliver 100 to 400 grams of fentanyl, a Class 1 felony. She’d previously been charged with a more serious Class X felony, which carries a prison term up to 30 years.

Police said in August 2024, Gastelum and her son German Vargas Jr., 34, were arrested at a McDonald’s parking lot in Marengo by McHenry County Sheriff’s detectives. Authorities said the pair, of Tucson, Arizona, first traveled to Mexico, where they picked up 120,000 blue pills stamped as oxycodone that tested positive for fentanyl, according to a motion in the McHenry County court.

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, Assistant State’s Attorney Stephen Gregorowicz said during the pair’s initial court appearance, where Judge Carl Metz detained them in county jail pretrial.

Gregorowicz also said Vargas and Gastelum lived near the Mexico-U.S. border and drove “all over” the U.S. as carriers for a drug cartel in Sonora, Mexico.

Last week, Vargas Jr., 34, 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. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison.

His mother got a longer sentence because she “set up the drug pickup from her connection,” Assistant State’s Attorney Ashur Youash said, adding her son “was more of a driver. He did know what was there, but he didn’t coordinate” the transactions.

Attorneys had ordered a psychological evaluation for Gastelum. On Thursday, before accepting her guilty plea, Gerhardt said he agreed with the evaluation that she was fit to stand trial.

Detectives said they found messages between Gastelum and a supplier in Mexico in which details drug smuggling were discussed, like cash deliveries, maps and her compensation, with the fake pills referred to as “blues,” the prosecutor said.

Authorities also alleged that Gastelum said she had been a drug smuggler for two years. Vargas owned a restaurant in Arizona where his mother worked, and they both are lifelong residents of Arizona, lawyers in the case said.

Gastelum is required to serve half her prison time, followed by 18 months mandatory supervised release. She is receiving credit for 442 days in the county jail, Gerhardt said.