Last Updated on April 13, 2026 4:07 pm
Two Mexican nationals have been sentenced to federal prison for trafficking kilogram quantities of methamphetamine in a conspiracy that stretched across Watauga, Caldwell, and Catawba Counties, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of North Carolina.
The Watauga County Sheriff's Office was among the agencies that investigated the case, along with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.
Lorenzo Lemus-Orozco, 42, the leader of the local drug trafficking organization, was sentenced to 140 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Jesus Miguel Angel Gutierrez-Lopez, 53, who was illegally present in the United States, was ordered to serve 70 months in prison followed by one year of supervised release. Both defendants will be removed from the United States after completing their prison sentences.
During the investigation, law enforcement found evidence connecting Lemus-Orozco to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, also known as CJNG. When officers searched his trailer in Hickory after his arrest, they found approximately 99 grams of methamphetamine, approximately $2,000 in cash, three firearms, and clothing bearing CJNG branding.
According to court records, the conspiracy ran from February 2024 to February 2025. Investigators conducted at least five controlled purchases of methamphetamine from the defendants during the investigation.
On December 5, 2024, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol stopped Gutierrez-Lopez's truck in Caldwell County and seized almost half a kilogram of methamphetamine.
After Gutierrez-Lopez's arrest, Lemus-Orozco left the United States and traveled to Michoacan, Mexico — a region often associated with Mexican drug cartel activity. He returned to the United States in January 2025 and was arrested shortly after.
“Prosecuting drug traffickers — particularly those that are illegally in the United States and connected to foreign cartels — is a key priority of my office,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. “This is one of many such cases in this focused effort.”
Both defendants pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. They are in federal custody and will be transferred to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Charlotte.
