Alamogordo Man Copped to Meth Conspiracy, Gets 4 Years

Robert Alan Rutledge, 34, of Alamogordo, N.M., is headed to federal prison for 48 months after pleading guilty to methamphetamine trafficking tied to a sprawling drug ring on the Mescalero Apache Reservation. Sentenced in Las Cruces federal court, Rutledge will serve three years of supervised release post-prison. The conviction marks another nail in the coffin of a violent, high-volume drug network that poisoned tribal lands for over a year.

The case stems from an 18-month OCDETF-led investigation launched in May 2014 after a surge in violent crime linked to meth use on the Reservation. Federal and tribal authorities zeroed in on a distribution network flooding the area with crystal meth, later expanding to target two supply crews in southeastern New Mexico. By August 2014, the probe was elevated under the Justice Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force—rarely used in Indian Country—and included the first wiretaps approved for such terrain.

Rutledge was indicted in December 2015 alongside seven co-conspirators on charges of conspiracy to distribute meth in Otero County between April and October that year. He copped a plea on September 6, 2016, admitting he obtained between 50 and 200 grams of meth from a co-defendant in August and September 2015, then flipped it to others. He specifically admitted to selling 18 grams on August 29, 2015—a small weight with major consequences.

The sweep netted 34 suspects—18 in federal court, 16 in tribal court. Of the federal cases, 17 have pleaded guilty. One defendant maintains innocence. The tribal charges, filed through the Mescalero Apache Tribal Court, target members of the tribe involved in distribution. More than ten kilograms of meth were seized during raids, a haul revealing the scale of addiction and distribution.

Agencies involved included the DEA’s Las Cruces office, BIA’s Office of Justice Services (Mescalero Agency), BIA Division of Drug Enforcement, Mescalero Tribal Police, Hatch Police Department, FBI, and Lea County Drug Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Terri J. Abernathy and Clara Cobos. Tribal cases are being handled by Mescalero Tribal Prosecutor Melissa Chavez.

This investigation stands as one of the most aggressive federal crackdowns on drug trafficking in Indian Country in recent years. With wiretaps, multi-agency coordination, and federal-tribal collaboration, it set a precedent. Rutledge’s sentence may be mid-tier, but it’s part of a broader dismantling—one crystal at a time.