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A year-long investigation by law enforcement yielded roughly 60 pounds of methamphetamine, 1,500 fentanyl pills, and more than $20,000 in cash. Officials executed raids on stash houses in Columbia Heights, Hastings, and Rochester.
Rodriguez was arrested in November 2025 during a planned traffic stop, where authorities seized three pounds of methamphetamine from his vehicle. Prosecutors indicated that evidence presented at trial showed he had received additional shipments intended for distribution.
Federal officials confirmed that the trafficking operation is tied to the Sinaloa Cartel, a Mexican criminal organization long linked to large-scale drug operations across the U.S. Rodriguez’s sentencing is scheduled for a future date.
This month has marked a series of significant victories for the DOJ and FBI.
FBI Director Kash Patel highlighted what he called a record-setting first year in office during a Fox News appearance, pointing to major progress in capturing fugitives from the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list.
Patel appeared on “Hannity” after host Sean Hannity noted that the FBI had captured six of its Ten Most Wanted fugitives in a single year, compared to the prior administration, which captured only four fugitives over four years.
Patel credited the difference to changes in bureau operations, including placing roughly 1,000 additional agents into the field to target violent crime and fugitive apprehension.
The milestone comes after the January arrest of Ten Most Wanted fugitive Alejandro Rosales Castillo. Castillo is accused of the 2016 murder of 23-year-old Truc Quan Sandy Ly Le in Cabarrus County, North Carolina. State charges filed in November 2016 included first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, robbery with a dangerous weapon, and larceny of a motor vehicle. A federal arrest warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution was issued in February 2017.
Patel credited President Donald Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and international law enforcement partners for the operation’s success.
In late January, Patel also made headlines when the FBI announced the arrest of nearly 50 members and associates of the Latin Kings street gang in a sweeping, multistate crackdown targeting gang violence, drug trafficking, and organized crime.
The initiative, called “Operation Broken Crown,” involved more than a dozen FBI field offices coordinating with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies over three months. Authorities seized over a dozen firearms, nearly $200,000 in illicit funds, and more than 10 kilograms of cocaine, fentanyl, and other drugs.
“Under President Trump’s and Attorney General Bondi’s leadership, this FBI is dismantling violent gang networks in America at a record clip — breaking their operations and saving lives in the process,” FBI Director Kash Patel said.
