ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.(KRQE) The national director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is calling a recent drug bust in Albuquerque the largest in the Bureaus history. ", Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. Prosecutors also say the group appears to have a knack for discovering tracking devices on their cars, which may have tipped off the groups alleged leader that he was under investigation. Customs and Border Protection), BLINKEN VISITS CENTRAL AMERICA AS PROLONGED MIGRANT CRISIS RAMPS UP PRESSURE ON BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION. It needs us all to build a better society, a more supportive, more affectionate society.. Learn more about the New Mexico HOPE Initiative at, Rio Rancho Man Charged with Possession of Destructive Devices, Artistas Asesinos Cartel leader sentenced to 27 years for drug trafficking, Prison escapee sentenced to 10 years for being a felon in possession of a firearm, a charge resulting from shooting of Farmington Police Officer. "Drug organizations are much more adept at changing than the government is," said Manjarrez, now a professor of border and national security at the University of Texas, El Paso. or redistributed. Albuquerque, New Mexico 87103, Telephone: (505) 346-7274
Wed, May 26th 2021, 2:30 PM PDT. Soto was arrested this morning in Las Cruces. Counts 6 and 29 charge certain defendants with possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of a mixture and a substance containing methamphetamine. In the first four months of the 2021 fiscal year, 505 Americans were arrested with drugs concealed in their bodies at southern checkpoints, compared with just 35 people from all other countries during the same period. Count 1 of the Indictment charges 23 defendants with participating in a conspiracy to distribute heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine. The U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of New Mexico is prosecuting this case. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) - New Mexico State Police are doing anything they can to track down drug dealers and social media is becoming a big tool. Feds arrest hundreds, seize drugs in Operation Washout Roswell In 2021, the Latin American country produced 972 tons of cocaine that are exported mostly to the United States, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy reported last July. The Las Cruces and Albuquerque offices of the DEA conducted the investigation with assistance from the U.S. Border Patrol, New Mexico State Police and Hatch Police Department. Rep. Andy Biggs R-Ariz., joins 'Fox Report' to discuss the Biden administration's response to the crisis at the southern border: 'they are so out of touch', TEXAS GOV. Glenn Youngkin rules out presidential campaign while in California, Three killed in small plane crash near Big Bear airport, authorities say, 2 students stabbed near Los Angeles High; LAPD investigating, Bass budget proposal for Animal Services is far less than what department requested, Salmonella outbreak linked to Gold Medal flour reaches California. Counts 14, 25, 35 and 36 charge certain defendants with possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine. In Dockerys residence, law enforcement located approximately 3,838.3 gross grams of fentanyl and 924.2 gross grams of methamphetamine allegedly belonging to the Seibel DTO. But the Albuquerque FBI office says investigations are ongoing and they expect more arrests to come. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. Representatives of the U.S. Border Patrol, Homeland Security Investigations, New Mexico State Police, Dona Ana County Sheriffs Department, Las Cruces Police Department and Sunland Park Police Department joined Acting U.S. Attorney Tierney and DEA Special Agent in Charge Glaspy in making the announcement. The OCDETF Program is a nationwide Department of Justice program that combines the resources and unique expertise of federal agencies, along with their local counterparts, in a coordinated effort to disrupt and dismantle major drug trafficking organizations. Twenty-three of the 28 defendants are in custody, including 20 who were arrested during todays law enforcement operation. It charges one defendant with a firearms offense. Feds announce string of Bay Area drug-trafficking busts tied to Sinaloa Cartel Four multi-agency investigations yield 15 criminal cases with 44 defendants, highlighted by Sunnyvale bust that . In a September 1 search of multiple locations around the city, law enforcement say they recovered more than 1 million fentanyl pills. Fentanyl is trafficked into the United States from countries such as China, India and Mexico and is sometimes mixed with cocaine often without the users knowledge to increase the drugs potency or profitability, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. De Santiago was arrested this morning in Sunland Park. In addition to the drugs, authorities recovered several guns from the suspected stash house in San Jose, according to prosecutors. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents arrested six defendants Feb. 17, charged with various drug trafficking offenses involving crack cocaine. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The U.S. Attorney's Office said both amounts would be the. Ricardo Terrazas-Ignacio, 19, of Las Cruces, N.M., is charged in Count 1 and 16 of the indictment. Dear Abby: Am I overreacting to my European daughter-in-law's behavior? The multi-agency investigation revealed that the DTO allegedly imported large quantities of heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine from Mexico into the United States; distributed the drugs in several states; and transported drug proceeds back to Mexico. Reyes Complaint. The criminal complaint charges Maria Isabel Reyes, 37, and Roberta Guillermina Ornelas, 38, both of Horizon City, Tex., with conspiracy and possession of more than a pound of heroin with intent to distribute. In addition, the Las Cruces and El Paso offices of Homeland Security Investigations, Dona Ana County Sheriffs Office, Las Cruces Police Department and Sunland Park Police Department participated in todays law enforcement operation. Diego Armando Rivas-Aguilar, 23, a Mexican national, is charged in Counts 1 and 33 of the indictment. Fax (505) 346-7296. A DEA Task Force executed warrants at five locations in Albuquerque, including the residences of Seibel, Pettit, and Dockery. This entire investigation is a perfect example of an interdiction that continued into a perfectly executed investigation through a unified effort., The results of this multi-agency operation reflects greatly on the partnership and commitment of dedicated men and women to combat the poisoning of our communities with highly addictive and dangerous drugs, said Waldemar Rodriguez, Special Agent in Charge of HSI El Paso. Albuquerque, New Mexico 87103, Telephone: (505) 346-7274
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The charges are the result of a 16-month DEA-led investigation during which law enforcement authorities seized approximately 30 kilograms of heroin, 64 kilograms of methamphetamine, 17 kilograms of cocaine, 20 kilograms of marijuana, 24 firearms, $102,000 in currency, and three vehicles. HOPEs law enforcement component is led by the Organized Crime Section of the U.S. Attorneys Office and the DEA in conjunction with their federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners. Since Operation Atonement began seven years ago, over 160 members and associates have been arrested, according to an FBI press release. In New Mexico, fentanyl and methamphetamine overtook heroin and prescription opioids as the top cause. April 4, 2023. Americans are critical to these operations, trafficking experts say. Friday, May 7, 2021. 7 Apr. Details of the investigation, which started in October 2020, were revealed in court records filed this week that included an indictment charging four people with involvement in a drug ring that sold heroin and methamphetamine. An increasing number of American citizens have been apprehended as they have tried to smuggle illegal drugs into the U.S. since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, an uptick that's come amid travel restrictions at the border with Mexico. . . On June 9, a federal grand jury indicted Seibel and Pettit on one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, two counts of distribution of 50 grams and more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine, two counts of distribution of 500 grams and more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine, and four counts of distribution of 40 grams and more of fentanyl. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - An Arizona man is facing charges in New Mexico after authorities found a cache of illicit drugs that included thousands of fentanyl pills while serving a search warrant. The investigation concluded this morning with an early morning, multi-agency law enforcement operation which included the execution of arrest warrants in New Mexico and Texas, and the execution of six search warrants at locations in El Paso, Tex., Sunland Park, N.M., Belen, N.M., and Albuquerque, N.M. Acting U.S. Attorney James D. Tierney and Special Agent in Charge Will R. Glaspy of the DEAs El Paso Division announced the results of the investigation this afternoon during a press conference in Las Cruces, N.M. Official websites use .gov Agents also seized $12,000 in cash, 30 pounds of marijuana, three guns and "personal use" amounts of heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine, Apodaca said. His detention hearing is set for Friday. Statistics published earlier this year show that New Mexicos 2020 fentanyl-related death rate was seven times higher than it was in 2016. The bust happened at a residence on Coolidge Avenue in Columbus on Thursday after about a month-long investigation. The following agencies assisted with the investigation: Drug Enforcement Administration, High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Region III Narcotics Task Force, which includes members of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, New Mexico State Police, Santa Fe Police Department, Santa Fe County Sheriff and the Taos Police Department. In comparison, just 361 such apprehensions during the same period involved Mexican citizens, who are generally second behind Americans for drug trafficking arrests at ports of entry. ALBUQUERQUE Twenty-eight individuals are facing drug trafficking and money laundering charges as the result of a federal investigation targeting a Mexican drug trafficking organization (DTO) responsible for importing large quantities of heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine from Mexico, and distributing the drugs in New Mexico, Texas, Kansas, Kentucky and Illinois. Are you having Trouble Finding the Page you are looking for? Related Articles Legal Statement. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Petro's decriminalization approach comes as Biden has been increasingly criticized by Republicans for being weak on border security and stopping the flow of fentanyl from Mexican cartels who also traffic in Colombian cocaine. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Feds announce Bay Area drug busts tied to Sinaloa Cartel - The Mercury News Roderica T. Bahe, 24, of Albuquerque, N.M., is charged in Counts 1 and 44 of the indictment. And so they get caught up with somebody that knows somebody from a Mexican organization, and they offer the money to get involved into this type of activity.". Our public health clinics are some of the primary ways in which we support the health of all New Mexicans. Though illegal substances brought in by that type of courier represent just a fraction of the overall drugs crossing into the U.S., those apprehensions in fiscal year 2018 were more balanced between U.S. citizens and non-citizens at 467 vs. 386, respectively, Customs and Border Protection data shows. Dominguez-Cuellar is in custody on a federal alien smuggling charge in the District of New Mexico. A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? The meth, and an accompanying 127 pounds of fentanyl powder that U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers discovered Aug. 5, had an estimated street value of more than $12.9 million, according to officials.