Fake cocaine in a transparent bag on a board illustrating drug trafficking in Clermont Ferrand France on March 19 2020. (Photo by Romain Costaseca / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP) (Photo by ROMAIN COSTASECA/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images)
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.
In court, Lopez acknowledged that he knowingly possessed the cocaine with the intent to distribute and admitted that the firearm in his home was his, despite prior felony convictions. He had previously been convicted in 2023 for unlawful firearm possession and again in 2024 for possession of cocaine for sale. Under federal law, his criminal history made it illegal for him to own or possess a gun.
The investigation into Lopez was led jointly by the San Diego Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration, and is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods—a federal initiative that aims to reduce gun violence and drug crime by coordinating law enforcement and community-based strategies.
Lopez now faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of 40 years in federal prison for the cocaine charge. He also faces up to 15 years for the firearms offense. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
The case underscores the persistent overlap of drug trafficking and illegal firearm possession in neighborhoods already strained by violence and surveillance. While law enforcement credits collaborative policing efforts for the arrest, the community impact of these cycles continues to raise questions about prevention, rehabilitation, and long-term public safety in San Diego.
