CHARLOTTE — A Mexican national with multiple illegal reentry convictions was sentenced yesterday to 135 months in federal prison for trafficking more than 33 kilograms of cocaine in the Charlotte area.
Raul Bello Rojas, 44, also received five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and illegal reentry.
The sentencing follows an investigation that uncovered high-level drug distribution and a history of repeated immigration violations.
Court records show that Rojas had been deported from the United States four times between 2010 and 2019 before returning to North Carolina to distribute drugs while armed with firearms.
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The investigation into Rojas began with a series of controlled purchases. Between December 2024 and January 2025, Rojas sold cocaine to an undercover law enforcement officer on at least three separate occasions. These transactions led investigators to obtain a search warrant for his residence.
On Feb. 28, 2025, agents with Homeland Security Investigations and officers from the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department searched the home.
They discovered 26 bricks of cocaine hidden in the attic and another eight bricks in a primary bedroom closet. The 34 total bricks weighed approximately 33 kilograms.
Investigators also found two firearms during the search. They recovered a SCCY CPX-one 9mm handgun from a nightstand and a Bryco Arms .380 handgun inside a bag that also contained a brick of cocaine. Along with the weapons and drugs, officers seized $64,489 in cash, digital scales, and a drug ledger.
Mark M. Zito serves as the special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in North Carolina and South Carolina. Zito emphasized the impact of these crimes on local neighborhoods.
“Every time a dangerous criminal like Rojas returns to our streets and brings drugs and weapons into our neighborhoods, families and communities are put at risk,” Zito said. He added that the agency remains committed to taking action against those who repeatedly break the law.
Rojas has a history of immigration violations and was previously deported from the United States at least four times. His first deportation occurred in October 2010 following an assault conviction in Virginia.
He was deported again in 2013 from Texas, in 2015 from Utah, and in 2019 from Virginia. U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson noted that Rojas’s return to the country posed a consistent threat.
“Rojas repeatedly violated our nation’s immigration laws and returned to the United States to traffic large quantities of cocaine,” Ferguson said. “Armed with guns, he posed a serious threat to our community.”
Rojas is currently in the custody of the U.S. Marshals. He will be transferred to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility once one is designated. U.S. Attorney Ferguson stated that Rojas will be promptly deported after serving his sentence.
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