Albuquerque Felon Michael Gerard Smith Faces Federal Drug, Gun Charges

Michael Gerard Smith, 55, of Albuquerque, is locked up in federal custody after being charged with methamphetamine and heroin trafficking and being a felon in possession of a firearm. A U.S. Magistrate Judge found probable cause during a hearing in Albuquerque, N.M., and ordered Smith held without bond, citing a clear risk of flight and danger to the community.

Smith’s criminal history is long and violent—11 prior felony convictions for drug trafficking, robbery, false imprisonment, and forgery. He is now being prosecuted under a federal anti-violence initiative targeting “the worst of the worst” repeat offenders. The program, a joint effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal, state, and local agencies, aims to remove chronic offenders from New Mexico’s most crime-ridden areas.

On February 3, 2017, Albuquerque Police Department (APD) officers executed a search warrant at Smith’s residence and seized 94.5 grams of methamphetamine, 34.9 grams of heroin, a loaded handgun, and cash in denominations consistent with street-level drug sales. The evidence formed the basis of a criminal complaint filed by federal prosecutors.

If convicted, Smith faces a statutory mandatory minimum of ten years and up to life in prison on the drug charges, and up to ten years for the firearm charge. If prosecutors successfully argue he qualifies as an armed career criminal due to his prior convictions, he could face no less than 15 years behind bars for the gun charge, and potentially life in prison on the drug counts if a prior felony information is filed.

The case was investigated by the DEA’s Albuquerque office and the Albuquerque Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Norman Cairns. It falls under the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative, launched in 2015 to combat the opioid epidemic that has ravaged communities across the state. HOPE combines prevention, treatment, law enforcement, reentry programs, and strategic planning to reduce opioid-related deaths and dismantle drug networks.

Charges in the criminal complaint are allegations only. Michael Gerard Smith is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. The case continues under federal jurisdiction as authorities press forward in targeting high-level repeat offenders in one of the nation’s highest per capita violent crime states.