CHARLOTTE, N.C. – An illegal alien from Mexico and his co-conspirator have been indicted for trafficking fentanyl in a case that is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF), announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Samuel Aquino Chavez, 28, of Mexico, and Crystal Stroud, 34, of Charlotte, are charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, and distribution of fentanyl.
According to allegations in the indictment from July 2023 to June 2024, Chavez and Stroud knowingly and intentionally conspired to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance. It is further alleged that the pair distributed the fentanyl in and around Mecklenburg and Union Counties, and elsewhere.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson credited the Drug Enforcement Administration for the investigation of the case.
This case 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.
The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney William Wiseman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte.
The charges against the defendants are allegations and they are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Western District of North Carolina — U.S. Department of Justice press release.