David Lopez, 56, of El Paso, is staring down a sentence of ten years to life in federal prison after a jury convicted him on two major drug trafficking charges stemming from a 14-year operation that funneled over 3,300 kilograms of marijuana across state lines.
Following a week-long trial, the federal jury found Lopez guilty of one count of conspiracy to possess more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana and one count of possession of over 100 kilograms. Evidence laid bare a sprawling cross-country network: Lopez used commercial tractor trailers—driven by himself and hired couriers—to move massive loads from El Paso to cities in Texas, New Mexico, and Kansas, operating continuously from August 2001 to August 2015.
Law enforcement linked Lopez to major drug seizures in Sierra Blanca and Abilene, Texas; Alamogordo, New Mexico; and Pratt County, Kansas. Prosecutors also revealed Lopez attempted to recruit a confidential source and even an undercover officer to transport drugs—moves that sealed his downfall. His operation didn’t run quietly: in 2010, Kansas authorities stopped him in Clark County, where a K-9 unit alerted to his vehicle. Inside, they found $130,000 in cash packed in the same manner as $53,000 later recovered from his safe during a 2015 search.
The prosecution didn’t stop at conviction. In a subsequent civil forfeiture trial, the government proved Lopez used illicit proceeds to buy tractor trailers, personal vehicles, and his El Paso residence—all now ordered forfeited. The assets were deemed instruments and proceeds of his drug enterprise, stripping him of the lifestyle built on smuggling.
Lopez has been locked up since his arrest on June 3, 2016. Sentencing is set for 8:00am on April 6, 2017, before U.S. District Judge Philip R. Martinez. With no plea deal and a mountain of evidence, there’s little hope of leniency.
“With this conviction, DEA and our law enforcement partners are working together to have a positive impact at the local level. We are sending a strong and unified message that drug dealing, at all levels, will not be tolerated, and, in turn, we are making our communities safer,” said Will R. Glaspy, DEA Special Agent in Charge, El Paso Division. The investigation spanned multiple agencies, including DEA El Paso, DEA Kansas City, El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, El Paso Police Department, Anthony Police Department, U.S. Border Patrol, Kansas Highway Patrol, Clark County Kansas Sheriff’s Office, Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and The Document and Media Exploitation (DOMEX) El Paso Branch.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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