Arnulfo Vasquez, Cocaine Trafficking, New Mexico 2011

Las Cruces Man Pleads Guilty to Cocaine Trafficking Charge

In a recent guilty plea, Arnulfo Vasquez, a 35-year-old resident of Las Cruces, New Mexico, admitted to a federal cocaine trafficking charge. The plea was entered in federal court, where Vasquez faced a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for his crime.

The case against Vasquez began on January 20, 2011, when law enforcement agents seized approximately 73.1 grams of cocaine during the execution of a search warrant at his residence. Vasquez was subsequently indicted on April 20, 2011, on the same charge of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute in Doña Ana County, New Mexico.

During the sentencing phase, Vasquez faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled, and Vasquez’s current status remains under the jurisdiction of the court.

The Las Cruces office of Homeland Security Investigations and the HIDTA Regional Interagency Drug Task Force/Metro Narcotics Task Force investigated the case, which involved the collaboration of officers from the Las Cruces Police Department, the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, HSI, and the New Mexico State Police.

The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program, established by Congress in 1988, provides assistance to federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies operating in critical drug-trafficking regions of the United States. The HIDTA program seeks to reduce drug trafficking and production by facilitating coordinated law enforcement activities and information sharing.

Defendant: Arnulfo Vasquez

Crime: Possession of cocaine with intent to distribute

City and State: Las Cruces, New Mexico

Date: January 20, 2011

Sentence: 20 years in federal prison (maximum penalty)

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