ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO – In a major blow to the state’s ongoing opioid crisis, a California man has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for his role in a heroin trafficking operation in New Mexico.
Jamell Damian Harris, 38, of Los Angeles, California, was sentenced to 60 months in prison for his heroin trafficking conviction in federal court in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Harris will serve four years of supervised release after completing his prison sentence.
The DEA arrested Harris in July 2017 after seizing approximately 470 grams (1.04 pounds) of heroin from him during an interdiction investigation at the Amtrak Train Station in Albuquerque. The heroin was concealed in a suitcase belonging to Harris’ travel companion.
Harris was subsequently indicted on August 8, 2017, and charged with conspiracy and possession of heroin with intent to distribute on July 13, 2017, in Bernalillo County, New Mexico. On September 27, 2017, Harris pled guilty to Count 2 of the indictment charging him with possession of heroin with intent to distribute.
In entering the guilty plea, Harris admitted to transporting approximately 390.90 grams of heroin from Victorville, California, to Albuquerque on the Amtrak train by concealing the heroin inside a shopping bag of men’s clothing in a suitcase belonging to his traveling companion. Harris also admitted that he intended to give the heroin to another individual for further distribution when he reached his final destination of Chicago.
The case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the DEA, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Rumaldo R. Armijo prosecuted the case as part of the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative. The HOPE Initiative was launched in January 2015 by the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in response to the national opioid epidemic, which has had a disproportionately devastating impact on New Mexico.
The HOPE Initiative is comprised of five components: prevention and education, treatment, law enforcement, reentry, and strategic planning. Targeting members of major heroin and opioid trafficking organizations for investigation and prosecution is a priority of the HOPE Initiative. Learn more about the New Mexico HOPE Initiative at www.HopeInitiativeNM.org.
Harris’ sentencing is a significant victory in the ongoing fight against heroin trafficking in New Mexico. The state’s opioid crisis has taken a devastating toll on public safety, public health, and the economic viability of communities across the state.
Key Facts
- State: New Mexico
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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