GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A Fox Valley restaurant owner has been sentenced for his involvement in cocaine trafficking.
Luis A. Morales, 41, was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison.
Morales was the former owner of several area Mr. Taco and Savor Food & Spirits locations.
According to court filings, Morales was the leader of a local drug trafficking organization that was responsible for distributing cocaine throughout the Fox Valley area from approximately 2014 until December 2020. Investigators learned that Morales traveled to the Chicago area to obtain large amounts of cocaine. He also frequently traveled to Mexico and Colombia.
The Mr. Taco Kimberly location was often used to distribute and accept payments for cocaine.
In December of 2020, Morales was arrested during a traffic stop on Highway 41 in Fond du Lac. Two kilograms of cocaine were found in his vehicle.
After the traffic stop, investigators identified and searched the location of Morales’s source of supply in Chicago, Illinois, where they located an additional 11 kilograms of cocaine and approximately $80,000 in cash. Investigators then executed search warrants at various residences and all of Morales’s restaurants, where they located additional cocaine, cash, and firearms.
The evidence further established that Morales had direct ties and confirmed contacts with Cartel Jalisco New Generation (“CJNG”), a violent Mexican cartel.
Morales was also sentenced to serve 10 years of supervised release following his incarceration. The judge also ordered a money judgment of forfeiture in the amount of $150,000 in addition to the approximately $145,000 already seized and forfeited.
Seven other people were also charged and convicted in the case.
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