Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Luis Mojica Rojas (45, Zephyrhills) with conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, conspiracy to commit international money laundering, possession of 400 grams or more of fentanyl with the intent to distribute, money laundering, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. If convicted on all counts, Mojica Rojas faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 40 years, and up to life, in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Mojica Rojas that the United States intends to forfeit $92,195, an AR-15 type pistol, and ammunition, which are alleged to be traceable to the offenses.
According to court records, on May 9, 2022, federal agents executed a search warrant at Mojica Rojas’s residence. Inside the master bedroom, agents seized an AR-15 assault pistol and a loaded drum magazine for an AR-15. Cocaine was also found in the master bathroom. Agents seized over 800 grams of suspected fentanyl in powdered form, and another 100 grams of counterfeit prescription drugs containing suspected fentanyl from a shed and camper in the backyard. The indictment further alleges that in August 2021, Mojica Rojas was part of a conspiracy to internationally launder drug proceeds to conceal and disguise the nature, location, source, ownership, and control of the drug proceeds.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, the Tampa Police Department, and the Plant City Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Baeza.
OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.