Leader of DC, Maryland drug trafficking crew sentenced to 10 years in federal prison
WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — A man was sentenced Thursday for his role as the leader of a drug trafficking crew that operated throughout D.C. and Maryland, according to the United States Attorney's Office (USAO) for the District of Columbia.
Cila Melgar Rodriguez, 36, of Hyattsville, Md., was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, five years of supervised release, and ordered to forfeit $100,000.
DC police looking for two suspects after fatal Northwest shooting
Rodriguez, aka 'Paipa,' pleaded guilty in February to conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine/crack cocaine and admitted to being the leader of the drug trafficking crew.
According to court documents, on August 12, 2023, one of Rodriguez's co-conspirators organized a sale of five kilograms of cocaine to a confidential source for $120,000.
On August 18, 2023, the sale was set to take place in a Costco parking lot, and there, DEA agents arrested the co-conspirators. Agents searched the co-conspirator's car, where they seized a Smith and Wesson .38 caliber revolver and over 3.6 kilos of cocaine.
The USAO states that Rodriguez was not present at the deal, but he was the one who provided the cocaine to the dealers and organized the operation.
An initial investigation determined the co-conspirators had received the cocaine from Rodriguez outside of an apartment building in Northwest.
The USAO adds that the cocaine provided by Rodriguez for the deal was recovered by officers.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox Sports
a day ago
- Fox Sports
Astros minor pitcher Julio Rodriguez suspended 80 games for positive drug test
Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Houston Astros pitcher Julio Rodriguez was suspended for 80 games Friday by Major League Baseball under the minor league drug program following a positive test for the performance-enhancing substance Nandrolone. A 25-year-old right-hander, Rodriguez was 2-0 with a 6.40 ERA in 21 relief appearances for High-A Asheville and Double-A Corpus Christi. After making 18 appearances for the Tourists, he was promoted on June 17. Rodriguez was signed by San Francisco for a $300,000 bonus in March 2018 and reached Triple-A for a pair of games with Sacramento last July 1 and 3, then ended the season with Double-A Richmond. He was selected by Houston last December in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 draft. Rodriguez is the eighth player suspended this year for a positive test, the sixth under minor league programs. Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar was suspended for 80 games on March 31 and Philadelphia Phillies closer Jose Alvarado for 80 games on May 25 under the major league program. ___ AP MLB: # # recommended
New York Post
2 days ago
- New York Post
Career criminal who hurled Molotov cocktail at LA hotel where 27 DHS agents were staying during anti-ICE riots arrested
A 'serial criminal' and 'coward' was arrested in Los Angeles Tuesday for allegedly tossing a Molotov cocktail at a hotel where more than two dozen Department of Homeland Security agents were staying as violent anti-ICE riots held the city hostage. Eric Anthony Rodriguez, 39, who hails from California, allegedly hurled a Molotov cocktail at a hotel near Los Angeles International Airport, where 15 agents from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and 12 Customs and Border Protection agents were staying, early Saturday, officials told The Post. The Los Angeles Police Department received a call about an 'incendiary device investigation' early Saturday after witnesses said that a male suspect had lit and launched a Molotov cocktail toward the hotel. Advertisement The device landed harmlessly in some bushes, and a hotel employee was able to put out the fire, according to Officer David Cuellar, an LAPD spokesman. No one was injured in the attack. 'This coward threw a Molotov cocktail at a hotel in Los Angeles where 27 DHS law enforcement officers were staying,' Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a press release. Advertisement A joint investigation between the LAPD's Major Crimes unit and the Los Angeles Fire Department's arson investigators zeroed in on Rodriguez, Cuellar said. He was nabbed Tuesday morning without incident near the scene of the initial attack, Cuellar said. 4 Eric Anthony Rodriguez, 39, is accused of hurling a Molotov cocktail at an LA hotel where 27 DHS agents were staying on Saturday, officials said. Department of Homeland Security 'Anyone who threatens the lives of federal officers will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law — and that is exactly what will happen to Rodriguez,' McLaughlin said. Advertisement 'If you threaten or attempt to harm a law enforcement officer, we will find you.' 4 Los Angeles was still reeling from violent anti-ICE protests when they arrested Eric Anthony Rodriguez, 39, for hurling a Molotov cocktail at a hotel where where 27 agents from the Department of Homeland security were staying. Toby Canham for NY Post The Los Angeles County District Attorney charged Rodriguez with one count of possession of a destructive device and one count of arson, Cuellar said. 'Anthony Rodriguez is a serial criminal who will face justice for threatening the lives of federal law enforcement,' McLaughlin said. Advertisement 4 Los Angeles was aflame earlier this month when a wave of anti-ICE riots ran rampant in the city. Toby Canham for NY Post 'Dangerous rhetoric by sanctuary politicians has fanned the flames of violence against federal law enforcement — and it has led to a 500% increase in assaults against ICE,' she added. Rodriguez has a criminal record going back more than two decades, according to law enforcement sources familiar with the case. He was convicted of a felony in 2004 for receiving stolen property. In March 2024, he was convicted in Los Angeles County Superior Court of robbery in the second degree. He was convicted of five other felonies between 2004 and 2024, including an assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury. Rodriguez had an outstanding felony warrant for violating parole when he was arrested, sources said. He is just the latest to be collared over Molotov-cocktail related attacks on law enforcement during the protests. On June 7, the height of the violent anti-ICE riots in the City of Angels, Emiliano Garduno-Galvez was arrested and charged with attempted murder for hurling a Molotov cocktail at LA County sheriff's deputies, police said. 4 Los Angeles was the epicent of anti-ICE riots this month. Toby Canham for NY Post Advertisement Garduno-Galvez, who had already been deported from the US once, had been arrested twice in 2024. He was out due to California's sanctuary laws, which meant ICE detention orders were ignored by local officers according to DHS. 'These are the types of criminal illegal aliens that rioters are fighting to protect,' said McLaughlin. 'The Los Angeles rioters will not stop us or slow us down.'
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Miami Herald
Chaos at Miami-Dade commission as officers drag out objector to new ICE jails agreement
Chaos erupted at a Miami-Dade Commission meeting on Thursday as opponents of an ICE agreement with county jails were dragged out of the chambers after objecting to the board declining to vote on the deal. County sheriff's deputies dragged out a 36-year-old woman who ignored an officer who told her not to speak as the commission's chair, Anthony Rodriguez, explained he would bar future public comments on the issue if any person chose to speak at Thursday's meeting. The woman, identified as Camila Ramos, collided with a sign as multiple deputies dragged her out of the chambers and was pushed to the floor in the lobby before being removed to a commission office. The chaos prompted other small scuffles with law enforcement during a chaotic confrontation outside the second-floor chambers at the Stephen P. Clark Center in downtown Miami. The incidents marked the most chaotic moment at the commission chambers since the board agreed in 2017, during the first weeks of the first Trump administration, to extend jail time for local inmates sought by ICE for deportation. Earlier this year, Miami-Dade approved a formal cooperation agreement with ICE for the county jail system. Those agreements are now mandated by Florida law. The item on the agenda Tuesday was a modification of that agreement that included reimbursement provisions for local inmates held at Miami-Dade jails when sought for deportation. Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, a Democrat, recommended approval. But before the scheduled vote, Commissioner Oliver Gilbert asked to defer the vote indefinitely because Levine Cava has already signed the agreement. Rodriguez agreed and told the audience they could still speak on the item, but if it ever came up for a vote again, there would not be a second opportunity for anybody to speak in the future. Ramos was already near the dais, awaiting her chance to speak. She asked for clarification for Rodriguez's instructions when a plain-clothes deputy told to remain silent. She objected and then was forcibly moved from where she stood. Members of the audience objected, with multiple people following her and the deputies outside the chambers. That prompted orders for people to stand back as Ramos was pushed to the ground by deputies. The modification of a cooperation agreement that Florida law mandates for all jails brought warnings of ICE being able to 'disappear' inmates whose names would otherwise be listed on a public website for loved ones to search. County administrators denied that and said the disputed restrictions on public records in the new agreement already exist under federal law. Levine Cava's administration said the agreement on Tuesday's agenda is required by Florida law. 'This is not something about which I have a choice,' Levine Cava said later in the meeting. 'This is the law. ... It doesn't mean it is the wish of this body.'
