LOCAL NEWS

OKLAHOMA INMATE SENTENCED TO SERVE THREE DECADES IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR DRUG DEALING FROM STATE PRISON


OKLAHOMA CITY – Last week, EDUARDO ROSALES, 35, of Oklahoma City, was sentenced to serve 360 months in federal prison for his involvement in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

On December 4, 2019, a federal grand jury returned a 55-count Indictment charging Rosales and dozens of co-defendants with crimes related to a large-scale drug trafficking operation orchestrated from state prisons.  According to the Indictment, the operation primarily focused on distributing methamphetamine using contraband cell phones from prison. 

On August 3, 2021, Rosales pleaded guilty to Count 1 of a Superseding Information, alleging a drug conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.  The Indictment pertaining to Rosales was dismissed at sentencing pursuant to a plea agreement.

On December 15, 2022, Senior U.S. District Judge Stephen P. Friot sentenced Rosales to serve 30 years in federal prison after he completes his current state prison sentences.  Judge Friot also ordered Rosales to serve 10 years of supervised release after his federal prison term.   At the sentencing hearing, the court took into consideration that in 2019, Rosales used incarcerated associates, non-incarcerated associates, and contacts in Mexico to orchestrate a massive drug-trafficking ring that distributed methamphetamine throughout Oklahoma.  In imposing the sentence, Judge Friot noted Rosales’ leadership role in the organization, his continued propensity to engage in criminal activity despite incarceration, the need for long-term incapacitation, and his criminal history.

Public records reflect that Rosales holds multiple felony convictions.  He is currently serving a 15-year term of imprisonment with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections for 2016 convictions for trafficking in illegal drugs (methamphetamine), being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of a weapon while committing a felony in Oklahoma County District Court case CF-2016-9180.  Additionally, in Oklahoma County District Court cases CF-2013-8251, CF-2014-6012, CF-2016-10038, and CF-2017-2838, Rosales holds felony convictions for possession of a controlled and dangerous substance (cocaine and marijuana) after sustaining a prior felony conviction, possession of proceeds after sustaining a prior felony conviction, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

This case resulted from a nearly two-year investigation by the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office, the Oklahoma City Police Department, and the Oklahoma Department of Corrections—Security Threats Intelligence.  The investigation ultimately led to the federal indictments of more than 40 defendants related to this drug trafficking enterprise.  Rosales is the last defendant to be sentenced from the two Indictments stemming from this investigation.

This prosecution is also a part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason Harley, David McCrary, and Chelsie Pratt prosecuted the case.