(7News) ALEXANDRIA, Va. (7News) On Wednesday federal and local . Count 12 charges certain defendants with possession with intent to distribute 280 grams or more of cocaine base. In keeping our community safe, I want to enlist their help by asking them to report anything out of the ordinary, suspicious behavior and domestic violence. 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. Statistics published earlier this year show that New Mexicos 2020 fentanyl-related death rate was seven times higher than it was in 2016. U.S. government destroying the dollars value through inflation. The HOPE Initiative was launched in January 2015 by the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorneys Office in response to the national opioid epidemic, which has had a disproportionately devastating impact on New Mexico. Market data provided by Factset. Twenty-three of the 28 defendants are charged in a 44-count indictment, three are charged in two separate criminal complaints, and two will be charged in criminal complaints being filed today. According to public court records allegations have been made that, Jose Mendoza, and his wife, Natalie Mendoza, were high-level suppliers of cocaine in the Espaola Valley of New Mexico. They pulled the car over on Hayward Avenue in Santa Clara and found more than 40 pounds of methamphetamine, according to the criminal complaint against both men. These cases are great examples of how local, county, state and federal agencies are working with State District Attorneys and the U.S. Attorney to prosecute those responsible for their crimes. The citizens of New Mexico are safer today because of the collaborative effort between law enforcement agencies. It was a three-month operation that. Box 607 The U.S. Attorney's Office said both amounts would be the. Dulce Viridiana Rodriguez, 21, of Albuquerque, N.M., is charged in Counts 1 and 38 of the indictment. Authorities said Ingram had served time in the Arizona Department of Corrections on prior drug-related charges. California legislative effort to curtail trafficking fentanyl through social media stalls According to court records, Seibel, assisted by his co-conspirators included Pettit and Dockery, allegedly sold blues, which are counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, as well as fentanyl pills manufactured in Albuquerque using a pill press machine. Assistant U.S. Biden has been under attack from congressional Republicans who argue that his administration has been weak on drug enforcement. Through the cooperation of numerous law enforcement organizations we have removed criminals from our communities who have been involved in smuggling, transporting, and distributing drugs., The responsibility of protecting our borders and keeping our communities safe is a task to which we are committed. ST. LOUIS - The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) busted a large-scale, multi-state drug trafficking ring and 11 people from St. Louis have been arrested for their role. 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The statutory penalty for a conviction on this count is imprisonment for not less than ten years nor more than life and a $10 million fine. "But generally speaking people sometimes may find themselves in a bind. Elizabeth Monroy, 19, of Chaparral, N.M., is charged in Counts 1 and 36-37 of the indictment. Deputies and members of an FBI task force seized about 18,000 pills along with meth, heroin and other substances after getting a tip Ingram would regularly travel from Arizona to New Mexico with narcotics and would distribute them in the Albuquerque area, authorities said. , Photos: Sky News 13 flies over Good Friday pilgrimages, PHOTOS: Storm moves through New Mexico leaving snow, Snow causes difficult driving conditions across NM, Map: New Mexico Veterans Monuments and Memorials, BestReviews.com - Top gifts to make everyone happy this spring, Surprise your mom with one of these Mothers Day, Mothers Day inspo: This foot massager has 20,000, Drew Barrymores Walmart collection is perfect for, Best Mothers Day gifts for the budding plant mom, 13 Broadcast Pl SW, Albuquerque, NM, 87104, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Flores was arrested this morning in Anthony. Vanessa Reyes, 26, of El Paso, Tex., is charged in Counts 1-2 and 29-31 of the indictment. 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. 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. Ryan Rodriguezs sister, Andrea Rodriguez, allegedly delivered drugs to customers on Ryan Rodriguezs behalf. This is a staggering seizure that demonstrates the extent of our current fight against mass production of methamphetamine and fentanyl, Grossman said in a statement. "Prosecution of those who manufacture and distribute these illicit and dangerous narcotics is and must remain a top priority for the District of New Mexico." "The drug trafficking organizations that produce and distribute these potentially-lethal counterfeit pills containing fentanyl care only about one thing: maximizing profits," said . Assistant U.S. A full body orgasm at the L.A. Phil? Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. "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. A grand jury returned an indictment against the defendants Feb. 25. 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. 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. The maximum statutory penalty for a conviction on this count is 20 years and a $500,000. "This was long overdue," Martinez said. The maximum statutory penalty for a conviction on each of these counts is imprisonment for four years and a $250,000 fine. Overdoses from synthetic opioids like fentanyl have soared inthe United States, and fentanyl accountsfor the majority of synthetic opioid deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The New Mexico Department of Health operates several administrative offices around the state that oversee regional and statewide office operations. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. April 4, 2023. On Tuesday, Oct., officers with the New Mexico State. For example, the overt acts allege that the DTOs drug trafficking and money laundering activities extended to Kentucky, where law enforcement officers seized $15,300 in drug proceeds from a courier who was transporting the money to New Mexico in April 2016; Oklahoma, where law enforcement officers seized 4.44 kilograms of methamphetamine from a courier in June 2016; and New Mexico, where law enforcement officers seized six kilograms of heroin from couriers at a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint in October 2016. Since 2016, fentanyl abuse has been a primary driver of overdose deaths across the nation. WASHINGTON - Colombian President Gustavo Petro declared during his inaugural address last August that the time has come for a new approach in the international war on drugs, which he . DEA-Led Investigation Included Seizures of 30 Kilograms of Heroin, 64 Kilograms of Methamphetamine, 17 Kilograms of Cocaine, 20 Kilograms of Marijuana, 24 Firearms, $102,000 in Currency and Three Vehicle. One defendant is charged in a criminal complaint with heroin and cocaine trafficking offenses arising out of the seizure of approximately 24.4 pounds of heroin and 2.45 pounds of cocaine at the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 25 north of Las Cruces on March 10, 2017. Kent man among multistate drug bust of 16 people Mexican traffickers, however, have long recruited Americans for the job. Record-breaking drug bust made at Mexico border in - Fox News Ricardo Terrazas-Ignacio, 19, of Las Cruces, N.M., is charged in Count 1 and 16 of the indictment. Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, Devils blank Rangers in Game 7, face Canes in second, Harden scores 45, hits late 3 as 76ers down Celtics, Met Gala: Rihanna, Jared Leto as Choupette, Kim K., Serena Williams, Karlie Kloss reveal pregnancies, Phillies slugger Harper expected to return to lineup, Braves slugger Ronald Acua Jr. exits game after, a September 1 search of multiple locations, KRQE-Emerson Poll: Majority of New Mexicans think crime has gotten worse, Bernalillo County and Albuquerque team up for fentanyl education program. 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. The leftist leader, who also has vowed to bring total peace to his nation of 50 million after six decades of conflict, took his message to Washington on Thursday when he met with President Joe Biden at the White House. U.S. Customs and Border Protection made a record-breaking seizure of fentanyl and methamphetamine on Thursday, busting a Mexican citizen who was trying to haul the drugs into to the U.S. inside a. Despite early pandemic disruptions to the global drug trade, illegal substances have since been pouring into the U.S. the world's largest consumer of them. Lock Drug cartels | Latest News & Updates | AP News All six defendants were arrested and remain in custody pending detention hearings. Additionally, defendant Edvardo Carlson is alleged to have conducted drug transactions at Ryan Rodriguezs direction. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. Hidalgo has yet to be arrested and is considered a fugitive. A locked padlock House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., staged a news conference at theU.S.-Mexico border in February and charged that Biden's border policies have alloweddeadly drugs like fentanyl to enter the country illegally. His battles with the church arent over, How Palm Springs ran out Black and Latino families to build a fantasy for rich, white people, 17 SoCal hiking trails that are blooming with wildflowers (but probably not for long! The statutory penalty for a conviction on the charges in the complaint is imprisonment for not less than ten years nor more than life and a $10 million fine. We are honored to work hand in hand with our federal partners, the DEA and the U.S. Attorneys Office in achieving the ultimate goal of keeping our streets safe., Doa Ana County Sheriff Enrique Vigil said, I can say with confidence that our local law-enforcement agencies are committed to doing all that we can to bring fugitives to justice, and will continue working together to make our great state of New Mexico a safe place. Among the agencies that participated in the investigation were the DEA Albuquerque District Office, DEA El Paso Division, DEA El Paso Division SRT, DEA Las Cruces District Office, DEA St. Louis Division, DEA South Central Laboratory, DEA Aviation, FBI Albuquerque Field Office, United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office, Albuquerque Police Department, Pueblo of Laguna Police Department, Pueblo of Pojoaque Police Department, Valencia County Sheriffs Office, Rio Rancho Police Department, Torrance County Sheriffs Office, Belen Police Department and Albuquerque Fire & Rescue. Feds seize 650 pounds of meth in Bay Area, four indicted on Prescription Drug Overdose in New Mexico (2022-Q1), Prescription Drug Overdose in New Mexico (2021-Q4), Prescription Drug Overdose in New Mexico (2021-Q3), Prescription Drug Overdose in New Mexico (2021-Q2), Prescription Drug Overdose in New Mexico (2021-Q1), Prescription Drug Overdose in New Mexico (2020-Q4), Prescription Drug Overdose in New Mexico (2020-Q3), Prescription Drug Overdose in New Mexico (2020-Q2). An official website of the United States government. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Criminal Complaint in United States v. Jose Fernando Lucero, 17-MJ-617-GJF. Customs and Border Protection), BLINKEN VISITS CENTRAL AMERICA AS PROLONGED MIGRANT CRISIS RAMPS UP PRESSURE ON BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION. A drug cartel hijacked and burned more than a dozen vehicles across Tijuana and killed innocent bystanders in the region during a spree of violence. 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 . The criminal complaint charges Jose Fernando Lucero, 24, of Las Cruces, N.M., with conspiracy and possession of heroin and cocaine with intent to distribute. . Follow him on Twitter @mcollinsNEWS. 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. Are you having Trouble Finding the Page you are looking for? Deaths from synthetic opioids (primarily fentanyl) have been on the rise across the nation in recent years. The latest videos from KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos In addition to the 650 pounds of methamphetamine, federal authorities seized 15 pounds of heroin, prosecutors said in court papers. Juan R. Gutierrez, 30, of Belen, N.M., is charged in Counts 1, 2 and 18-20 of the indictment.