Fifth defendant discovered responsible in Sinaloa cartel meth conspiracy case

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A fifth defendant has been convicted in a sweeping Minnesota meth trafficking conspiracy tied to Mexico’s notorious Sinaloa Cartel , federal prosecutors introduced Tuesday.

Eric Anthony Rodriguez, 47, was discovered responsible in U.S. District Court docket of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine after a six-day trial earlier than Decide Susan R. Nelson.

Prosecutors mentioned Rodriguez was a part of the "Diaz-Aguilar Drug Trafficking Group," which operated throughout Minnesota from April 2024 to March 2025.

The group moved huge shipments of meth, generally a whole lot of kilos at a time, into the state, in response to prosecutors. The group was led by Erick Emilio Diaz-Aguilar, 33, who beforehand pleaded responsible, together with co-defendants Juan Martin Elvira Jr., 36, Edward Gonzalez, 30, and Bruce Michael Orton, 44.

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Eric Anthony Rodriguez, 47, was discovered responsible in U.S. District Court docket of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. (iStock)

Throughout an almost yearlong investigation, law enforcement seized about 60 kilos of methamphetamine, 1,500 fentanyl capsules and greater than $20,000 in money. Authorities additionally raided stash homes in Columbia Heights, Hastings and Rochester.

The outside of the U.S. District Court docket in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Kerem Yucel / AFP through Getty Pictures, File)

In November 2025, officers stopped Rodriguez in a coordinated site visitors operation and recovered three kilos of methamphetamine from his car. Trial proof confirmed he had obtained dozens extra kilos for distribution, prosecutors mentioned.

Federal prosecutors secured a responsible verdict for Rodriguez after a six-day trial. (iStock)

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Federal authorities mentioned the trafficking community was affiliated with the Sinaloa cartel, a Mexican transnational criminal organization lengthy tied to main drug operations in the USA.