Date: April 22, 2022 Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov United States Attorney Richard G. Frohling of the Eastern District of Wisconsin announced that on April 21, 2022, U.S. District Judge J.P. Stadtmueller sentenced two Milwaukee men, both of whom identified as Mexican Posse gang members, to federal prison for drug and firearm offenses. The court sentenced Louis R. Perez III to 21 years' imprisonment and five years' supervised release after Perez III pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute and the possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 846, 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(A); and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i). Perez III's conviction and sentence stem from his leadership of a violent, nationwide drug trafficking organization that obtained multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana for distribution in the Milwaukee area. According to court records, Perez III, also known as "Eight Ball," often obtained controlled substances from California and shipped drug proceeds through the U.S. Postal Service to co-conspirators in California. This drug trafficking organization was comprised of some individuals identifying as Mexican Posse gang members, including Perez III. The court also sentenced Antonio Rodriguez, a codefendant of Perez III, to 15 years of imprisonment. Rodriguez, also a known Mexican Posse gang member, was sentenced after pleading guilty to drug and firearm charges in relation to this trafficking organization. As a result of this investigation, law enforcement officers seized approximately 45 firearms, 8.6 kilograms of cocaine, 700 grams of heroin, 4.4 kilograms of marijuana, 4,500 kilograms of marijuana oils, and 21.9 kilograms of filled marijuana vape cartridges. The defendants were charged based on a long-term investigation led by law enforcement agents and officers from the North Central High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Waukesha County Sheriff's Office, the Milwaukee Police Department, and the Greenfield Police Department.
