(FOX 9) - A Minnesota man who ran a drug trafficking organization tied to a southern California gang is heading to federal prison for 20 years.
Minnesota meth scheme
What we know:
Erick Emilio Diaz-Aguilar, also known as "Homie," was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison after being convicted of leading a methamphetamine trafficking operation that stretched across Minnesota and Chicago.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Diaz-Aguilar managed what investigators called the "Diaz-Aguilar Drug Trafficking Organization" and is a member of the Sureños, a transnational criminal organization that originated in southern California.
Dig deeper:
Court documents say that law enforcement began investigating suspected methamphetamine trafficking in Rochester, Minnesota, in the summer of 2024.
In August 2024, agents executed a search warrant at a co-conspirator's home and found about 7.6 pounds of methamphetamine, 1,500 fentanyl pills disguised as prescription pills, marijuana, cellphones and nearly $8,000 in cash.
A review of that co-conspirator's phone revealed messages with "Homie," who was identified as the meth supplier, with transactions going back to April 2024. Agents later confirmed "Homie" was Diaz-Aguilar.
From October 2024 through January 2025, prosecutors say law enforcement conducted three controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Diaz-Aguilar.
Agents also executed a search warrant at a stash house in Hastings, Minnesota, where they found a bulk quantity of meth and used drug packaging that showed hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine had recently moved through the property.
In December 2024, Diaz-Aguilar then traveled to Chicago with two co-conspirators to pick up a bulk quantity of methamphetamine. As the group traveled back to Minnesota in a two-vehicle convoy, charges say that police stopped the vehicle and found roughly 42 pounds of methamphetamine in the trunk.
Agents later executed a search warrant at Diaz-Aguilar's home and seized his phones, according to court documents, on which investigators found messages between Diaz-Aguilar and a co-conspirator named Bruce Orton about drug transactions dating back to August 2023, including discussions about pricing and Diaz-Aguilar's access to 170 pounds of methamphetamine.
Agents also found a ledger inside Diaz-Aguilar's closet that contained sales entries of bulk quantities to others, according to court documents.
What they're saying:
"The ringleader of an organization responsible for flooding our streets with methamphetamine was brought to justice," said DEA Special Agent Dustin Gillespie in a statement announcing the sentence. "No one is above the law and today's sentencing is yet another reminder that DEA will work tirelessly to take these criminals and their poisons out of our neighborhoods."
The Source: Information provided by a press release from U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen's office dated Sept. 9, 2026.