GREENSBORO, N.C. – A jury in federal district court convicted ARTEMIO RIVERA AVILEZ on Thursday, September 24, 2026, of multiple drug charges, announced United States Attorney Dan Bishop of the Middle District of North Carolina.
According to court documents, AVILEZ, age 34, was initially indicted on May 26, 2026, and was tried on charges in a Superseding Indictment filed August 31, 2026. AVILEZ was charged in Count One with conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine and in Count Two with possession with intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.
Evidence at trial showed that AVILEZ possessed 167.4 kilograms of 95% pure methamphetamine in his enclosed utility trailer in Burlington, NC, and coordinated with others to distribute the drugs on October 10, 2025. The 167.4 kilogram seizure is believed to be the largest methamphetamine seizure in the history of North Carolina.
A jury convicted AVILEZ on all counts of the Superseding Indictment after a four-day trial. At sentencing, AVILEZ faces a term of imprisonment of 10 years to life, not less than 5 years of supervised release, fines, and restitution. Sentencing is scheduled for January 20, 2027, before United States District Judge Lindsey A. Freeman in Greensboro.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Greensboro comprises agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Marshal Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations, United States Postal Inspection Service, the Greensboro Police Department, Winston-Salem Police Department, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office, the Davie County Sheriff’s Office, the Eden Police Department, the Piedmont Triad International Airport Police Department, the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office, and the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of North Carolina.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office, the Burlington Police Department, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and the High Point Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Lead Task Force Attorney, Assistant United States Attorney Randall S. Galyon.
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Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Middle District of North Carolina — U.S. Department of Justice press release.