Jeremy Isaac Lopez, Drug Trafficking, New Mexico 2023

A repeat offender from Espanola, New Mexico, has pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking charges in a case that highlights the state’s ongoing struggles with illicit substance abuse. Jeremy Isaac Lopez, 29, was found guilty of possessing and distributing multiple controlled substances, including heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl.

The case began on February 23, 2022, when Lopez committed an armed robbery in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, while on probation. He was subsequently charged and placed on house arrest with GPS monitoring as part of his pretrial release conditions.

However, Lopez intentionally removed his GPS ankle monitor on March 30, 2023, prompting a bench warrant to be issued for his arrest. He was eventually located and apprehended at the Cities of Gold Casino in Santa Fe, New Mexico, by the Pueblo of Pojoaque Tribal Police Department on April 19, 2023.

During the arrest, officers discovered Lopez in possession of multiple controlled substances, including more than 5 grams of methamphetamine, over 40 grams of a mixture containing fentanyl, and an unspecified amount of heroin.

Lopez was subsequently convicted by the State of New Mexico for the armed robbery and is now facing federal charges for his role in the drug trafficking operation. He will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled.

At sentencing, Lopez faces up to 40 years in prison followed by up to life supervised release. U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

The Santa Fe Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with the assistance of the Pueblo of Pojoaque Tribal Police Department, Chief Freddie Trujillo of the Pojoaque Tribal Police Department, and the Espanola Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert James Booth II is prosecuting the case.

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