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Federal prosecutors revealed on Tuesday that a fifth individual has been found guilty in connection with a major methamphetamine distribution network in Minnesota, linked to the infamous Sinaloa Cartel from Mexico.
Eric Anthony Rodriguez, aged 47, was convicted by a jury in the U.S. District Court for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and for possessing methamphetamine with the intention to distribute. This verdict came after a six-day trial presided over by Judge Susan R. Nelson.
Authorities described Rodriguez as a member of the “Diaz-Aguilar Drug Trafficking Organization,” which was active throughout Minnesota from April 2024 to March 2025.
The group was responsible for transporting significant quantities of meth, often in hundreds of pounds, into the state, according to the prosecution. The operation was spearheaded by Erick Emilio Diaz-Aguilar, 33, who, along with associates Juan Martin Elvira Jr., 36, Edward Gonzalez, 30, and Bruce Michael Orton, 44, had already entered guilty pleas.
Eric Anthony Rodriguez, 47, was found guilty in U.S. District Court of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. (iStock)
During a nearly yearlong investigation, law enforcement seized about 60 pounds of methamphetamine, 1,500 fentanyl pills and more than $20,000 in cash. Authorities also raided stash houses in Columbia Heights, Hastings and Rochester.
The exterior of the U.S. District Court in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Kerem Yucel / AFP via Getty Images, File)
In November 2025, officers stopped Rodriguez in a coordinated traffic operation and recovered three pounds of methamphetamine from his vehicle. Trial evidence showed he had received dozens more pounds for distribution, prosecutors said.
Federal prosecutors secured a guilty verdict for Rodriguez after a six-day trial. (iStock)
Federal authorities said the trafficking network was affiliated with the Sinaloa cartel, a Mexican transnational criminal organization long tied to major drug operations in the United States.
Rodriguez will be sentenced at a later date.