Brandon William Wood, Methamphetamine Trafficking, New Mexico 2015

ALBUQUERQUE – A Portales man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in a methamphetamine trafficking operation in New Mexico. Brandon William Wood, 36, was sentenced in federal court in Las Cruces, New Mexico, after pleading guilty to charges of methamphetamine trafficking and firearms possession.

Wood and his co-defendant, Justin Thomas Shipley, 30, were arrested in April 2014 after being stopped at a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint near Alamogordo, New Mexico. Agents found 80 grams of methamphetamine, a handgun, a shotgun, and ammunition in their vehicle.

The indictment alleged that Wood and Shipley participated in a conspiracy to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine in Otero County, New Mexico. Wood was also charged with being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, as he had previously been convicted of several felony offenses, including conspiracy to sell controlled substances and manufacturing, sale and possession of controlled substances.

Wood’s guilty plea admitted that he and his co-conspirator acquired 80 grams of methamphetamine, which they intended to distribute in Portales, New Mexico. He also admitted to having a gun and ammunition, knowing that he was not allowed to possess them due to his previous felony convictions.

Shipley, who was also involved in the methamphetamine trafficking operation, pleaded guilty to a felony information charging him with participation in a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy, distribution of methamphetamine, and using and carrying a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime. He remains in federal custody pending his sentencing hearing.

The case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the DEA and the Alamogordo Station of the U.S. Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Wright is prosecuting the case.

Wood will serve 10 years in prison and will be on supervised release for three years after completing his sentence. His co-defendant, Shipley, is currently scheduled to be sentenced in July 2015.

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