Romero Pleads Guilty

Matthew Romero, 40, of Albuquerque, N.M., has pleaded guilty to robbing a retail pharmacy to obtain prescription controlled substances. The guilty plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez, Will R. Glaspy, Special Agent in Charge of DEA’s El Paso Division, and Chief Gorden E. Eden of the Albuquerque Police Department.

Romero was arrested on Dec. 30, 2015, on a criminal complaint charging him with violating the Hobbs Act by robbing a business engaged in interstate commerce and robbery involving controlled substances. The charges against Romero arose out of the armed robberies of the Walgreens Pharmacy located at 3501 Lomas Blvd. and the Walgreens Pharmacy located at 5201 Central Ave. in Albuquerque.

Romero was subsequently charged in a four-count indictment on Jan. 14, 2016, with two counts of violating the Hobbs Act and two counts of theft of medical products. The indictment alleges that Romero committed the crimes on Dec. 6, 2015 and Dec. 7, 2015, in Bernalillo County, N.M.

During the proceedings, Romero pled guilty to the indictment. In his plea agreement, Romero admitted entering the Walgreens Pharmacy located at 3501 Lomas Blvd. NE, on Dec. 6, 2015, where he gave a pharmacy employee a note demanding Xanax and Diazepam, and let the employee know that he was armed. Romero also admitted that on Dec. 7, 2015, he entered the Walgreens Pharmacy located at 5201 Central Ave., where he gave a pharmacy employee a note demanding Xanax, Diazepam, and Oxycodone, and let the employee know that he was armed.

The plea agreement states that on Dec. 8, 2015, Romero again entered the Walgreens Pharmacy located at 3501 Lomas Blvd. NE, with a note demanding Xanax and Valium, and stating that Romero was armed, but Romero was arrested while he was waiting for the pharmacy to open. According to the plea agreement, on Dec. 6, 2015, Romero stole 107 doses of 2 milligram Alprazolam and 346 doses of 10 milligram Diazepam, and on Dec. 7, 2015, Romero stole 873 doses of 2 milligram Alprazolam, 471 doses of 10 milligram Diazepam and nine doses of 5 milligram Oxycodone.

This case was investigated by the Tactical Diversion Squad of the DEA in Albuquerque and the Albuquerque Police Department. DEA’s Tactical Diversion Squads combine DEA resources with those of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies in an innovative effort to investigate, disrupt and dismantle those suspected of violating the Controlled Substances Act or other appropriate federal, state or local statutes pertaining to the diversion of licit pharmaceutical controlled substances or listed chemicals.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joel R. Meyers and Shaheen P. Torgoley are prosecuting the case as part of the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative. The HOPE Initiative was launched in January 2015 by the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in response to the national opioid epidemic, which has had a disproportionately devastating impact on New Mexico. Opioid addiction has taken a toll on public safety, and this case is a prime example of the efforts being made to combat the issue.