DETROIT – A Detroit man who had been released from prison less than a year ago is facing a federal charge after the FBI said they found two firearms, suspected cocaine and cash during a parole compliance check at his home.
In a criminal complaint unsealed this week, the feds charged Eric Esquivel, 41, for possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony.
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Esquivel was released from prison on Aug. 26, 2025, after serving a sentence for felony drug delivery and manufacturing. He was placed on parole and required to live at a Detroit home registered with the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC). Esquivel has also been convicted of felony firearm offenses.
Help from an FBI source
The FBI said they had already been investigating Esquivel in connection with suspected drug activity when they discovered a Smith & Wesson pistol and a Radical Firearms rifle during a parole check at his home on June 17, 2026.
An FBI source said they contacted Esquivel and arranged to buy a controlled substance. Agents allegedly overheard the call, searched the source and the source’s vehicle, and provided money for the transaction.
Investigators then said they watched as the source went to Esquivel’s home. Esquivel allegedly came out of the house, accepted the money and gave the source “a controlled substance.”
The source later turned the drugs over to agents, the feds said. It was later tested and showed to have “the presence of a controlled substance.”
The feds learned Esquivel’s home had been used as a drug and money stash location, according to the source. The source also reported seeing Esquivel at the home several times in 2026 with drugs and a rifle.
A ‘white chunky substance’
Detroit Police assisted MDOC personnel as they went to Esquivel’s home on June 17. A woman who answered allegedly told investigators that Esquivel was upstairs using the bathroom.
After going inside, the feds asked Esquivel which bedroom belonged to him. Esquivel reportedly said he stayed upstairs.
A search of the upstairs bathroom allegedly turned up boxes beneath the sink with a “white chunky substance believed to be cocaine” inside, along with approximately $1,500 in cash.
The search also allegedly uncovered a Smith & Wesson pistol, a magazine and ammunition, as well as a Radical Firearms RF-15 rifle with magazines and more ammo.
Investigators said another plastic bag with cocaine inside was found hidden beneath the bathtub. Esquivel was arrested, but they couldn’t find his phone, the feds said.
On July 1, FBI agents said they got a search warrant for the Detroit home to find the phone. With no response, they said they had to force themselves through the front door. A woman later appeared at the entrance and was arrested, the complaint said.
Agents said they found a blue cellphone on an upstairs bed and confirmed it was Esquivel’s. Later searching the phone, the FBI said they found a picture of a black rifle with the same serial number listed for the Radical Firearms rifle seized during the parole check.
Investigators said they also found a video on the phone that showed a man picking up a loaded rifle magazine and then lifting a rifle -- the same rifle shown in the photograph.
While holding the rifle, the man allegedly activated a red laser mounted on the optic and pointed it toward the floor and his foot. The feds said the rifle seized during the parole search also had a red laser mounted in the same area.
Esquivel’s criminal history
Esquivel, court records show, has felony drug convictions from 2009 and 2019, along with two felony firearm convictions from 2009. Records show his parole as active from Aug. 26, 2025, through Dec. 24, 2026.
An ATF special agent later determined that both firearms were most likely manufactured outside Michigan.
Esquivel is scheduled to face a federal judge in Detroit on Sept. 3, 2026.