New Mexico Man Pleads Guilty to Methamphetamine and Heroin Trafficking Charges
Jose Manuel Ortiz-Campos, 28, a legal permanent resident residing in El Paso, Texas, pleaded guilty on June 19, 2018, to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin, conspiracy to commit international money laundering, possession of methamphetamine and heroin with intent to distribute, and international money laundering in federal court in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
According to court documents, Ortiz-Campos admitted that in April 2017, he obtained drugs brought into the United States in the southern New Mexico and El Paso, Texas areas, and transported and delivered the drugs to Albuquerque and other locations. Ortiz-Campos also admitted to collecting drug proceeds for delivery to Mexico.
Under the terms of his plea agreement, Ortiz-Campos will be sentenced within the range of 180 to 240 months in federal prison and will then be deported.
The charges against Ortiz-Campos stem from a 16-month DEA-led federal investigation targeting a Mexican drug trafficking organization (DTO) responsible for importing large quantities of heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine from Mexico and distributing the drugs in New Mexico, Texas, Kansas, Kentucky, and Illinois.
During the investigation, law enforcement authorities seized approximately 30 kilograms of heroin, 64 kilograms of methamphetamine, 17 kilograms of cocaine, 20 kilograms of marijuana, 24 firearms, $102,000 in currency, and three vehicles.
Ortiz-Campos is one of five defendants who have entered guilty pleas in the past two weeks in connection with the investigation, which concluded in April 2017 with a multi-agency law enforcement operation that included the execution of arrest warrants in New Mexico and Texas, and six search warrants in El Paso, Texas, Sunland Park, New Mexico, Belen, New Mexico, and Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The superseding indictment filed in August 2017 charged the 22 defendants with participating in a conspiracy to distribute heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine between April 2016 and April 2017. It also charged nine of the defendants with participating in an international money laundering conspiracy during that same period.
Key Facts
- State: New Mexico
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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