United States Drug Enforcement Administration

TUCSON, Ariz. – Luis Ernesto Morales-Reyes, 38, of Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced Monday by United States District Judge James A. Soto to 78 months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release. Morales-Reyes pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl.

In September of 2022, Morales-Reyes agreed to deliver approximately 99,500 fentanyl pills to an individual in Tucson who, unbeknownst to Morales-Reyes, was an undercover agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). On September 15, 2022, Morales-Reyes drove from Phoenix to Tucson with the fentanyl and met with the agent. After delivering the pills, Morales-Reyes was arrested, and agents found a loaded 9mm handgun in his possession. After his arrest, Morales-Reyes admitted to making multiple prior deliveries of narcotics on behalf of a Phoenix-based drug trafficking organization.

As part of its One Pill Can Kill public service campaign, the DEA recently announced that six out of every 10 fentanyl-laced pills tested in 2022 contained a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl https://www.dea.gov/alert/dea-laboratory-testing-reveals-6-out-10-fentanyl-laced-fake-prescription-pills-now-contain). 

The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Culver, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:           CR-22-02230
RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-057_Morales-Reyes