A Sacramento man has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for organizing more than 200 shipments of methamphetamine from California to Chicago. According to authorities, Keith R. McCormick, 54, mailed parcels containing a pound each of nearly pure methamphetamine between 2022 and 2023. These packages were sent from his residence in Sacramento to individuals in Chicago, many of whom helped distribute the drugs on local streets. The proceeds from these sales were then returned to McCormick.
McCormick was arrested in March 2023 and pleaded guilty last year to drug conspiracy charges. On February 10, 2026, U.S. District Judge Edmond E. Chang sentenced him to 14 years in prison and imposed a $25,000 fine.
Five other individuals were charged as part of the investigation into this drug trafficking operation. Four co-conspirators based in Chicago had previously pleaded guilty and received sentences: Stephen R. Jenkins was sentenced to 14 years; Daniel Heise received a 12-year sentence; Donald W. Grenier Jr., four years; and Jose Hernandez also received four years. Charges against a fifth alleged co-conspirator, William F. Koch, were dismissed after he died in 2024.
The announcement of McCormick’s sentence came from Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Mary T. Johnson, Acting Inspector-in-Charge for the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); Todd C. Smith, Special Agent-in-Charge for the Chicago Field Division of the DEA; Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge for the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and Larry Snelling, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.
Authorities credited several agencies with supporting the investigation and prosecution efforts: “Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California; Homeland Security Task Forces (HSTF) in Chicago and Sacramento; the USPIS High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force —Parcel Interdiction Regional Enforcement Team in Chicago; USPIS and Homeland Security Investigations Field Offices in Sacramento; and the North Riverside, Ill., Police Department.” Assistant U.S. Attorney Elly Moheb represented the government during prosecution.
