Federal prosecutors in Charlotte have closed the book on a major cocaine case that started with undercover buys and ended with a massive stash house bust and guns on the table.
Raul Bello Rojas, a Mexican national, was sentenced to a little over 11 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to drug and immigration charges tied to the investigation. Rojas admitted to possession with intent to distribute five or more kilograms of a mixture of cocaine and to illegal reentry. A judge ordered the prison term, followed by five years of supervised release, according to WBTV.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte first brought federal charges last year under an enforcement push called Operation Take Back America. Prosecutors said the indictment accused Rojas of trafficking cocaine by the kilogram and of firearms offenses, and it included a forfeiture notice for more than $64,000 seized during a search, according to an earlier breakdown of the charges.
Investigation and seizure
Court records and local reporting indicate that Rojas sold cocaine to an undercover officer on at least three occasions between December 2024 and January 2025, before agents moved in with a search warrant at his home. When officers searched the residence they recovered 34 bricks of cocaine weighing more than 72 pounds, two firearms, digital scales, a ledger and nearly $65,000 in cash, per WBTV.
Legal context
Under federal law, kilogram scale cocaine trafficking is treated as a high level offense. Possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and up to life under 21 U.S.C. § 841. Separate statutes make using or possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime subject to additional, consecutive penalties under 18 U.S.C. § 924, which helps explain why prosecutors pushed for a lengthy sentence in this case.
Local enforcement ties
Federal officials said Homeland Security Investigations led the probe with help from the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department, and that Rojas has been held in federal custody since his February 28, 2025 arrest, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. With sentencing now complete, the case stands as another example of how federal authorities are targeting large scale cocaine trafficking in the Charlotte region.
.jpg){kind=link}