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Purdy Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy
In a joint enforcement operation in Carlsbad, New Mexico, 42-year-old Brian Kain Purdy was arrested and charged with conspiracy to smuggle goods from the United States. Purdy, along with co-defendant Sabino Alfonso Maldonado, has pleaded guilty to the charges.
Purdy and Maldonado admitted to picking up six firearms in Carlsbad on March 8, 2023, at the direction of a co-conspirator. The firearms were then wrapped in towels and loaded into a Jeep, which was later turned over to another individual who was traveling from Mexico to transport the firearms back to their country.
However, the individual was stopped by law enforcement and the firearms were seized. The seized firearms are all controlled on the Commerce Control List, and neither Purdy nor Maldonado had obtained the necessary license and written authorization to export the firearms.
Purdy and Maldonado admitted that they knew the attempted exportation of the firearms was in violation of the law. At sentencing, both defendants face up to 10 years in prison, followed by three years of mandatory supervised release.
The investigation was led by the Pecos Valley Drug Task Force, with enforcement assistance from the United States Marshal Service, Carlsbad Police Department, Eddy County Sheriff’s Department, Roswell Police Department, Chaves County Drug Task Force, DEA Airwing, and Customs and Border Patrol.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Renee L. Camacho and Devon Aragon-Martinez are prosecuting the case, which was conducted as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program. The OCDETF program identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States.
Purdy and Maldonado’s guilty pleas bring an end to the case, which was the result of a joint enforcement operation in Carlsbad last year. The operation resulted in the arrest of 12 defendants, with Purdy and Maldonado being two of the first to plead guilty to the charges.
Key Facts
- State: New Mexico
- Category: Organized Crime|Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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