STATESVILLE, N.C. — A federal jury in Statesville convicted David Moralez, 37, of Fresno, California for trafficking methamphetamine and money laundering.
Andrew Murray, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, says Moralez was charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, two counts of distribution of methamphetamine, and money laundering conspiracy on October 21st after a three-day trial.
Investigators say Moralez worked for a shipping company in California as a mail clerk and from 2018 to September 2019, Moralez was involved in a conspiracy to traffic drugs from California to the East Coast.
Detectives say they gathered evidence that Moralez conspired with other drug traffickers to send several packages filled with multiple pounds of methamphetamine, using the U.S. Postal Service and FedEx, to various locations in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
Police officers in Newton, N.C. and Hickory, N.C. say they took over two pounds of meth during controlled buys on December 18th and 19th in 2018.
Detectives say co-conspirators on the East Coast sent money made from the drugs back to cover Moralez’s fees and expenses via Walmart-to-Walmart transfers and bank deposits.
Moralez faces 10 years to life in prison for drug trafficking and each distribution charge, as well as 20 years in prison for money laundering, according to a news release.
Investigators say Moralez is being detained until his sentencing date, which has not been set yet.
Moralez was convicted a part of the ongoing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation “Dixie Crystal,” according to a news release.
OCDETF officials say since 2015 over 200 individuals have been prosecuted, and police have seized over 20 kilograms of crystal meth, $1,000,000 in U.S. currency, other assets, and dozens of firearms.
The OCDETF is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to fight drug trafficking.
