Two men, Arturo Martinez and Bryan Marinelarena, have pleaded guilty to federal heroin trafficking charges in New Mexico.
Martinez, 23, of El Paso, Texas, and Marinelarena, 20, a Mexican national, each pleaded guilty to a felony information charging them with conspiracy to possess heroin with intent to distribute.
The two men were arrested on May 23, 2015 during a routine inspection at the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 10 in Doña Ana County, N.M.
According to the criminal complaint, agents found approximately 6.6 kilograms of heroin concealed within the vehicle that Martinez and Marinelarena were driving from El Paso to California.
During today’s proceedings, Martinez and Marinelarena each admitted that they were paid to transport the heroin from El Paso to California.
Under the terms of their respective plea agreements, Martinez and Marinelarena each will be sentenced to 87 months in prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.
Both men remain in custody pending sentencing hearings, which have yet to be scheduled.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Border Patrol and the Las Cruces office of the DEA and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark A. Saltman of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.
This case was prosecuted pursuant to the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative, a collaborative effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center.
The HOPE Initiative is a comprehensive approach to reducing the number of opioid-related deaths in the District of New Mexico.
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Key Facts
- State: New Mexico
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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