California Man Receives Prison Sentence in Homeland Security Investigation

NEW ORLEANS - JESUS MORA RODRIGUEZ ("RODRIGUEZ"), age 56 was sentenced on October 13, 2026 by United States District Judge Darrel James Papillion after previously pleading guilty to a drug conspiracy, announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle.

RODRIGUEZ was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of thirty-two (32) months, followed by three (3) years of supervised release.

According to court records, beginning on a date unknown, but at least by February 28, 2025, and continuing until on or about the date of the indictment, in the Eastern District of Louisiana and elsewhere, RODRIGUEZ, did knowingly and intentionally conspire to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, 400 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Briana Williams of the Narcotics Unit.

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 New Orleans comprises agents and officers from the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana