Suspect in Eau Claire drug investigation appears in court

EAU CLAIRE COUNTY, Wis. (WEAU) - One of six people in custody following what law enforcement said is one of the largest fentanyl distributions ever investigated in Western Wisconsin appeared via web camera for a hearing in Eau Claire County Circuit Court Friday.

Friday court records show the hearing was to confirm that 41-year-old Hector A. Jimenez-Sosa has counsel appointed.

Court records also show a preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 12, 2024.

According to Eau Claire police, authorities conducted an 18-month-long investigation into the distribution of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other drugs in the Eau Claire area. Among the six people who were arrested are Hector A. Jimenez-Sosa, Mario R. Aviles, Terrance J. Krall, Elena Sosa Ochoa, Pedro A Delarosa-Munoz, and Olaguer J. Renteria.

Law enforcement said in late 2022, the USPS at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport flagged packages with illegal drugs that were heading to various places in Eau Claire. The packages contained as much as 1,000 grams of meth.

Eau Claire investigators said they worked with a confidential informant who used body wires and video to marijuana, fentanyl and meth on several occasions from Jimenez-Sosa and some of his relatives.

The street value of the drugs seized during the course of the investigation was approximately $250,000, Eau Claire police say. ECPD staff said the fentanyl sold by the group is linked to at least one overdose death in the area. Police did not say where in Eau Claire the drug investigations happened. Jimenez-Sosa and Aviles have also been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges related to illegal drug delivery.

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