United States of America v. Luis Ernesto Morales-Reyes

Tucson, Arizona criminal defense lawyer represented Defendant charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.



In September of 2022, Luis Ernesto Morales-Reyes, age 38, of Phoenix, Arizona, agreed to deliver approximately 99,500 fentanyl pills to an individual in Tucson who, unbeknownst to Morales-Reyes, was an undercover agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). On September 15, 2022, Morales-Reyes drove from Phoenix to Tucson with the fentanyl and met with the agent. After delivering the pills, Morales-Reyes was arrested, and agents found a loaded 9mm handgun in his possession. After his arrest, Morales-Reyes admitted to making multiple prior deliveries of narcotics on behalf of a Phoenix-based drug trafficking organization.



As part of its One Pill Can Kill public service campaign, the DEA recently announced that six out of every 10 fentanyl-laced pills tested in 2022 contained a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl (https://www.dea.gov/alert/dea-laboratory-testing-reveals-6-out-10-fentanyl-laced-fake-prescription-pills-now-contain).



The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Culver, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.

Defendant was sentenced to 78 months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release.