El Paso Woman Pleads Guilty to Cocaine Smuggling in Doña Ana Ring

Gabriela Castro, a 24-year-old legal permanent resident from El Paso, Texas, pleaded guilty today to her role in a violent cocaine trafficking operation that spread through Doña Ana County, New Mexico. The admission, made in federal court in Las Cruces, ties Castro directly to a six-month-long conspiracy that federal investigators say was orchestrated by fugitive Mexican national Joel Ibarra-Torres, 46.

The indictment, handed down in September 2016, contains 18 counts and charges Castro and seven others with running a tightly knit drug network that moved cocaine across the U.S.-Mexico border. The probe, part of the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) initiative, revealed a criminal enterprise operating from at least March 31, 2016, until Sept. 20, 2016. Authorities say Ibarra-Torres ran the scheme with help from family members and associates, funneling drugs and dirty money across state lines.

Castro admitted in court that on August 26, 2016, she attempted to smuggle approximately 250 grams of cocaine into the United States from Mexico in exchange for payment—a move that could land her up to 20 years in federal prison. She pleaded guilty to Count 1 of the indictment: conspiracy to distribute cocaine. No sentencing date has been set.

While Castro has entered her plea, the rest of the accused—excluding Ibarra-Torres, who remains at large and is considered a fugitive—are still fighting the charges. All have entered not guilty pleas and await trial. Federal prosecutors remind the public that indictments are accusations; defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The indictment also includes charges of international money laundering against Ibarra-Torres and two co-defendants, as well as use of telephones to facilitate drug deals. Authorities are seeking the forfeiture of at least $31,620 in alleged criminal proceeds. The money, they argue, stems directly from the sale and transport of illicit narcotics across southern New Mexico.

The case was built by agents from the DEA’s Las Cruces office, U.S. Border Patrol, and the FBI. It’s now being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Terri J. Abernathy and Sarah M. Davenport from the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch office. With one guilty plea secured, federal investigators say they’re pushing forward to dismantle the entire network.