A shadow has fallen over Minnesota, with the conviction of a fifth individual connected to a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking operation. Eric Anthony Rodriguez, 47, now faces the consequences after a six-day trial revealed his role in a conspiracy stretching back to April 2024.
The case centers around the “Diaz-Aguilar Drug Trafficking Organization,” a network that prosecutors say flooded the state with staggering amounts of methamphetamine. Shipments weren’t measured in grams, but in hundreds of pounds, a testament to the organization’s reach and ambition.
Rodriguez was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute, charges stemming from his involvement in the organization’s intricate web. He joins Erick Emilio Diaz-Aguilar, Juan Martin Elvira Jr., Edward Gonzalez, and Bruce Michael Orton, all of whom have already admitted their guilt.
Law enforcement’s year-long investigation uncovered a chilling picture of the operation’s scale. Raids on properties in Columbia Heights, Hastings, and Rochester revealed hidden stash houses, while seizures yielded approximately 60 pounds of methamphetamine, 1,500 fentanyl pills, and over $20,000 in cash.
The break in the case came in November 2025, when a coordinated traffic stop yielded three pounds of methamphetamine hidden within Rodriguez’s vehicle. Evidence presented at trial demonstrated this was just a fraction of the dozens of pounds he’d already received for distribution.
This wasn’t a localized problem; the organization’s tendrils reached far beyond Minnesota’s borders. Federal authorities confirmed a direct link to the notorious Sinaloa Cartel, a Mexican transnational criminal organization with a long and violent history of drug trafficking in the United States.
Rodriguez now awaits sentencing, his conviction marking a significant blow to this dangerous network. The dismantling of the Diaz-Aguilar organization represents a crucial step in disrupting the flow of illicit drugs into the state and protecting communities from their devastating impact.
