Timothy M. O’Shea, the United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, has announced that Efrain Estrada, a 31-year-old resident of Onalaska, Wisconsin, has been sentenced to 132 months in federal prison. Estrada was charged with possessing 400 grams or more of fentanyl intended for distribution and illegally possessing firearms as a felon. He pleaded guilty to these charges on March 13, 2025.
The case against Estrada began on July 22, 2024, when law enforcement intercepted a package containing approximately 5,000 fentanyl pills and 3,000 methamphetamine pills mailed from Houston, Texas to La Crosse, Wisconsin. Following this discovery, agents replaced the pills with candy and conducted a controlled delivery on July 25, leading to the arrest of an individual who retrieved the package. This person informed agents that the package was meant for Estrada and agreed to assist in a controlled delivery to his residence in Onalaska. Estrada was arrested upon accepting the package.
A subsequent search of Estrada’s home revealed an additional 2,800 fentanyl pills, about 1,000 other controlled substance pills, and over 600 grams of methamphetamine. Authorities also discovered ten firearms and various ammunition throughout the house. Among these were a short-barreled rifle and two sawed-off shotguns with defaced serial numbers. Some drugs and firearms were concealed within a coffee table compartment accessible only via a key card found in Estrada’s dresser.
During sentencing proceedings, Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson noted that while Estrada inherited an established drug operation from a deceased relative, he actively engaged in its continuation rather than passively falling into it. Judge Peterson stated that "Estrada not only stepped into it but embraced it," highlighting his accountability as the leader of his own organization rather than being merely part of another's operation.
The investigation leading to Estrada's charges involved multiple agencies including the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Wisconsin Department of Justice-Division of Criminal Investigation; La Crosse Sheriff’s Office; La Crosse Police Department; Madison Police Department; and ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force composed of federal agents from ATF alongside state and local agency Task Force Officers throughout Western Wisconsin. The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven Ayala and David Reinhard.
