Wilmer Luis Mejias, Cocaine Distribution, North Carolina 2018

Fayetteville Man Sentenced to 97 Months for Cocaine Distribution

Raleigh, NC - A Fayetteville man has been sentenced to 97 months in prison for his involvement in a cocaine distribution ring. Wilmer Luis Mejias, 44, was sentenced on February 5, 2018, after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine from 2015 to December 12, 2017.

According to court documents, Mejias was a member of a Puerto Rican drug trafficking organization (DTO) operating in Cumberland and Sampson counties. The investigation, led by the Fayetteville Police Department, the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, identified multiple drug traffickers working in connection with the DTO, including Mejias.

Mejias was responsible for collecting drug proceeds and sending them back to the DTO in Puerto Rico. The investigation established that between November 2014 and November 2017, Mejias was personally involved in the distribution of more than 30 kilograms of cocaine.

The case was part of Operation La Vida Loca, an extensive investigation by the United States Attorney’s Office’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The effort has been implemented through the Take Back North Carolina Initiative, which emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.

Mejias will serve 97 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Fayetteville Police Department, Sampson County Sheriffs’ Office, and the Wilmington Police Department investigated the case, with Assistant United States Attorney Scott A. Lemmon prosecuting the case for the government.

The investigation into the DTO has led to significant convictions, including that of co-conspirator Luis Joel Robles Latorres, who was sentenced on June 18, 2019, to 162 months of imprisonment for his role in the organization.

Mejias’s sentence is the latest development in the ongoing efforts to combat drug trafficking in North Carolina. As part of the Take Back North Carolina Initiative, the United States Attorney’s Office is committed to working with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices to reduce violent crime and drug trafficking in the region.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/pr/fayetteville-man-sentenced-97-months-cocaine-distribution