United States Drug Enforcement Administration

STATESVILLE, N.C. - A federal jury sitting in Statesville delivered a guilty verdict against Eduardo Trejo-Munoz, a/k/a “Lalo,” 23, of Hickory, N.C., for trafficking high purity crystal methamphetamine worth over $5 million, announced Jill Westmoreland Rose, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Following a two-day trial which ended late yesterday, Trejo-Munoz was convicted of six charges, including conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.

U.S. Attorney Rose is joined in making today’s announcement by Daniel R. Salter, Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Division of the Drug Enforcement (DEA), which oversees the Charlotte District Office; Nick Annan, Special Agent in Charge of ICE/Homeland Security (HSI) in Georgia and the Carolinas; Sheriff Coy Reid of the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office; and Chief Tom R. Adkins of the Hickory Police Department.

According to evidence presented at trial, from in or about 2013 through September 2014 in Catawba and Mecklenburg counties and elsewhere, Trejo-Munoz trafficked more than 50 kilograms of near-pure crystal methamphetamine, which constitutes approximately 500,000 dosage units, with a street value of more than $5 million. Evidence presented at trial established that, over the course of the investigation, law enforcement purchased 133 grams of methamphetamine from Trejo-Munoz. Law enforcement also seized another 54 grams of methamphetamine from the defendant, as well as drug paraphernalia and a handgun with laser site from his residence.

This prosecution stems from Operation “Lay Low,” codenamed after Trejo-Munoz’s nickname, which is part of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task (OCDETF) that has resulted in the conviction of more than 55 defendants on methamphetamine trafficking and firearms charges. 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, targeting national and regional drug trafficking organizations and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.

Trejo-Munoz has been in federal custody since September 16, 2014, and will remain in custody until his sentencing date, which has not yet been set. Trejo-Munoz faces a statutory mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years to life in prison, as well as a fine of up to $10,000,000.

The case was investigated by the DEA, HSI, the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office, Hickory Police Department, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and North Carolina State Highway Patrol. The prosecution of this OCDETF investigation is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven R. Kaufman.

The DEA encourages parents, along with their children, to educate themselves about the dangers of legal and illegal drugs by visiting DEA’s interactive websites at www.justthinktwice.com, www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com and www.dea.gov.