Hobbs Man Gets 10 Years for Meth Trafficking

Jeremy W. Gough, 41, of Hobbs, N.M., is going away for ten long years after being sentenced to 120 months in federal prison for his role in a sprawling methamphetamine trafficking network. The sentence, handed down in Las Cruces federal court, includes five years of supervised release post-incarceration, sealing Gough’s fate in one of southeastern New Mexico’s most aggressive drug crackdowns in recent years.

Gough was one of eight defendants named in a 20-count federal indictment filed in July 2017, targeting a drug ring allegedly orchestrated by Mexican national Jose Raul Mendivil-Berrelleza, 34, also of Hobbs. The operation funneled methamphetamine and cocaine from Mexico through Arizona into Lea County, fueling addiction and violence across the region. Four of the co-defendants were Mexican nationals; another hailed from Yuma, Ariz.

The investigation, led by the DEA with support from HSI and the Lea County Drug Task Force, was elevated to an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation—reserved for the most entrenched criminal syndicates. Over the course of the probe, authorities seized 13 kilograms (28.6 pounds) of pure meth, 1.45 kilograms (3.2 pounds) of cocaine, one firearm, and $19,000 in suspected drug proceeds.

The indictment accuses all eight defendants of conspiracy to traffic meth and cocaine between November 2016 and July 2017. Count 2 charges Mendivil-Berrelleza and 70-year-old Roberto Rendon-Duran of Yuma, Ariz., with international money laundering. Counts 3 through 5 target specific meth distribution runs, while Count 6 focuses on cocaine trafficking. The remaining counts detail how the crew used cell phones and other devices to coordinate their illicit trade.

Gough admitted his guilt on December 13, 2017, pleading guilty to conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute. He confessed to receiving bulk meth at his Hobbs residence and using couriers to distribute it locally. On November 5, 2016, he was found in possession of approximately 152 grams of meth—nearly half a pound—meant for street sale. His cooperation didn’t spare him from the full weight of federal sentencing guidelines.

Four co-defendants have already pled guilty and await sentencing. Two others have pleaded not guilty and are set for trial. Fugitive Miguel Angel Luna-Arredondo remains at large. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Terri J. Abernathy and Dustin Segovia, with investigative muscle from the Lea County Sheriff’s Office, Hobbs Police, and multiple regional agencies under the NM HIDTA Region VI umbrella. Charges remain pending against the unconvicted; all are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

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