San Diego, California – Benito Lopez of San Diego pleaded guilty in federal court on Friday to two serious charges: possession with intent to distribute more than two kilograms of cocaine and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The plea comes amid an intensifying federal crackdown on gun and drug offenses, and it paints a detailed picture of a high-volume street-level operation taking place in a densely monitored urban corridor.
According to federal prosecutors, Lopez was already on parole for a state drug trafficking conviction when the San Diego Police Department’s Gang Suppression Unit began surveillance of his residence. Officers reportedly observed Lopez approach three separate vehicles in the span of an hour, engaging in what appeared to be hand-to-hand transactions. Each time, he exchanged small white objects for cash.
A subsequent traffic stop yielded multiple bags containing golf ball-sized amounts of cocaine inside Lopez’s vehicle. Under the terms of his parole, Lopez was subject to searches by law enforcement. When investigators executed a parole search of his residence, they found two additional kilograms of cocaine, packaging materials, digital scales, and a loaded .40 caliber Smith & Wesson handgun. They also discovered nearly $60,000 in cash, which Lopez has now admitted were proceeds from drug sales…