Daniel Trujillo, Oxycodone Trafficking, New Mexico 2015

A 32-year-old Santa Fe man has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for his involvement in an Oxycodone trafficking ring in New Mexico.

Daniel Trujillo, a resident of Santa Fe, was sentenced on January 30, 2015 in federal court in Santa Fe, New Mexico, to 18 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for his Oxycodone trafficking conviction.

Trujillo and his co-defendants, Ashraf Nassar, Phillip Anaya, Krystal Holmes, and Sarah Romero, were arrested as part of a multi-agency law enforcement operation that included the execution of search warrants at three residences and a business in Santa Fe.

The investigation, Operation High Desert Bash, was initiated in January 2013 by the DEA’s Tactical Diversion Squad in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the Santa Fe Police Department and HIDTA Region III Narcotics Task Force in response to the epidemic increase in prescription drug abuse, addiction and overdose deaths in New Mexico, particularly among teens and young adults.

Operation High Desert Bash investigation was designated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF”) program, a nationwide 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.

The investigation primarily targeted a drug trafficking organization unlawfully distributing quantities of Oxycodone in Santa Fe County. Oxycodone is an opioid narcotic pain reliever similar to morphine that is medically prescribed to treat moderate to severe pain and can be habit-forming. Officers seized approximately 7300 mg of Oxycodone during the investigation.

Trujillo pled guilty on January 30, 2015 to a conspiracy count and admitted his participation in a conspiracy to distribute Oxycodone in the Santa Fe area between December 2012 and September 2013. Trujillo also admitted that he would frequently receive oxycodone from a co-defendant which he would then redistribute.

Two of Trujillo’s co-defendants also have entered guilty pleas. Anaya pled guilty on November 19, 2014, and Romero pled guilty on October 28, 2014; each admitted participating in the Oxycodone trafficking conspiracy charged in the indictment.

Nassar and Holmes have entered pleas of not guilty and are awaiting trial. Charges in indictments are only accusations. All criminal defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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