Luis Joel Robles Latorres, Cocaine Distribution & Firearm Offenses, North Carolina 2018

Raleigh, NC - Luis Joel Robles Latorres, 42, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, was sentenced to 162 months imprisonment, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for his role in a large-scale cocaine trafficking operation in Cumberland and Sampson counties.

Latorres was named in a 12-count Indictment filed on December 12, 2017, and on July 9, 2018, he pled guilty to one count of Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with the Intent to Distribute 5 Kilograms or More of Cocaine and one count of Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.

According to court documents, Latorres was identified as one of the leaders within a Puerto Rican drug trafficking organization (DTO) operating in Cumberland and Sampson counties. He was responsible for arranging cocaine shipments from Puerto Rico and collecting drug proceeds, which he would then send back to the DTO.

On November 3, 2017, agents intercepted multiple calls in which Latorres arranged the purchase of 1.5 kilograms of cocaine. Surveillance units followed the source to Latorres' residence in Fayetteville and then to a restaurant parking lot. Agents subsequently stopped the vehicle driven by an individual affiliated with the drug trafficking organization and seized a black bag containing $45,000 in U.S. Currency.

The investigation established that between November 2014 and September 2017, Latorres conservatively distributed more than 165 kilograms of cocaine. Additionally, the evidence established that Latorres possessed a handgun during multiple drug transactions with co-conspirators.

This prosecution is part of an extensive investigation by the United States Attorney's Office's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) named Operation La Vida Loca. OCDETF is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation's primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations.

Luis Joel Robles Latorres, 42, of Fayetteville, North Carolina Defendant Full Name

Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with the Intent to Distribute 5 Kilograms or More of Cocaine and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime Exact Criminal Charges

Fayetteville, North Carolina City and State

July 9, 2018 Date

162 months imprisonment, followed by 5 years of supervised release Sentence

$45,000 in U.S. Currency Dollar Amount

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/pr/fayetteville-man-sentenced-more-13-years-drug-distribution-and-firearm-offenses