Arizona Man Gets 46 Months for Bringing 4 Pounds of Heroin to New Mexico

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Sergio Marin Ambriz, a 21-year-old man from Phoenix, Arizona, has been sentenced to 46 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his conviction on a heroin trafficking charge.

Ambriz was arrested on January 20, 2016, after the DEA seized approximately 1.90 kilograms (4.18 pounds) of heroin from him at the Greyhound Bus Station in Albuquerque. The heroin was concealed inside a pair of jeans in Ambriz’s luggage.

Ambriz was subsequently indicted on February 9, 2016, and charged with possession of heroin with intent to distribute on January 20, 2016, in Bernalillo County, New Mexico.

On May 13, 2016, Ambriz pled guilty to a felony information charging him with possession of heroin with intent to distribute. In entering the guilty plea, Ambriz admitted transporting heroin from Phoenix, Arizona, to New Mexico on a Greyhound bus by concealing the heroin in his luggage.

Ambriz further admitted that he had intended to deliver the heroin to Tulsa, Oklahoma. This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the DEA and Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul H. Spiers prosecuted this 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, public health, and the economic viability of our communities.

The HOPE Initiative is comprised of five components: (1) prevention and education; (2) treatment; (3) law enforcement; (4) reentry; and (5) strategic planning. HOPE’s law enforcement component is led by the Organized Crime Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DEA in conjunction with their federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners.