Nearly 60 Kilos of Meth and Fentanyl Seized in Charlotte: 2 Mexican Nationals Indicted, Accused of Ties to a Mexico-Based Trafficking Network
Federal prosecutors in Charlotte, North Carolina, have indicted two Mexican nationals they accuse of having ties to a Mexico-based drug trafficking organization. The case follows a Homeland Security Task Force investigation that the Justice Department says took nearly 60 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine and fentanyl off the streets. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina announced the indictment on September 23, 2026.
The defendants and the charges
The two men are Martin Eduardo Hernandez Nunez, 36, and Juan Carlos Mojarro Sanchez, 38, according to the Justice Department. Prosecutors describe both men as being in the United States illegally. They are charged with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute crystal methamphetamine, distribution of crystal methamphetamine, and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. Both are in federal custody. If convicted, each faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison, the department said.
The charging documents allege that the two men were tied to a Mexico-based transnational criminal organization that distributed large amounts of methamphetamine in the Charlotte area. The Justice Department did not name the organization.
A house, a storage unit and a kilo press
According to the Justice Department, investigators searched the defendants’ home in May 2026 and found nearly 30 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine and two kilograms of fentanyl. They bought about four more kilograms of meth from the defendants in controlled purchases. Investigators also seized a firearm, vacuum sealers, a money counter, drug ledgers, digital scales and a large kilo press, which the department said is commonly used to repackage narcotics.
A search warrant at a storage unit the defendants used turned up about 30 more kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, the department said. Investigators also seized more than $66,000 in alleged drug proceeds over the course of the case.
What officials said
“We are laser focused on identifying transnational criminal organizations and their operatives who smuggle deadly drugs into our communities, fueling addiction and violence,” U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson said in the release. Mark M. Zito, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Carolinas, said the task force took “nearly 60 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, fentanyl, a gun, and alleged drug money out of circulation.”
The charges are allegations. Both men are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Sources
Reported September 23, 2026, from the Justice Department’s announcement. The indictment itself was not reviewed. The department did not name the Mexico-based organization. Its itemized seizure amounts add up to slightly more than the “nearly 60 kilograms” it used as its overall figure.