Barrera Jr., Salvador, Cocaine and Fentanyl Trafficking, North Carolina 2023

Fourteen Members of Major Drug Organization Sentenced

Fourteen members of a major drug organization were sentenced in a North Carolina court for trafficking hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and fentanyl in the Charlotte area.

According to court documents, the defendants were part of a large drug trafficking organization (DTO) responsible for distributing narcotics in and around Charlotte from 2017 to 2022.

Information presented in court shows that the DTO had ties to the Sinaloa and CJNG cartels and was directly supplied from these cartels.

The multi-agency investigation into the DTO included court-authorized wiretaps, controlled purchases of narcotics, extensive surveillance, and the execution of dozens of search warrants.

Law enforcement seized large quantities of narcotics, including approximately 328 kilograms of cocaine, 26 kilograms of fentanyl, and a kilogram of heroin.

Additionally, law enforcement seized approximately 60 firearms, 18 high-capacity magazines and ammunition, more than $2.4 million in cash drug proceeds, over $300,000 in jewelry, two residences, ten vehicles, a boat, and two tractor-trailers with hidden compartments for smuggling narcotics.

United States District Judge Robert J. Conrad sentenced the 14 defendants as follows:

Salvador Barrera Jr., 28, of Charlotte, was sentenced to 24 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release for Cocaine and Fentanyl Trafficking in Charlotte, North Carolina on March 22, 2023.

Barrera Jr. was one of the ringleaders of the DTO and was responsible for overseeing the distribution of narcotics in the Charlotte area.

The investigation into the DTO was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and involved multiple law enforcement agencies.

The sentences handed down in this case are a significant blow to the DTO and will help to disrupt the flow of narcotics in the Charlotte area.

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