ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO – In a major blow to the methamphetamine trade in Valencia County, a 30-year-old man has been sentenced to five years in prison for his role in distributing the highly addictive substance.
Joseph Baldonado of Los Lunas, New Mexico, was sentenced to 60 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release for his methamphetamine trafficking conviction. The sentence was handed down in federal court in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on April 15, 2016.
According to the complaint, Baldonado sold quantities of methamphetamine to an undercover agent on multiple occasions. On January 6, 2016, he sold 58.2 ounces of the substance, while on January 12, 2016, he sold 58.8 ounces. His biggest sale came on January 22, 2016, when he sold 57.2 ounces of methamphetamine to another person for $1,600.
Baldonado was arrested on January 6, 2016, after being charged with distribution of methamphetamine in Valencia County, New Mexico. He was subsequently indicted on February 9, 2016, and charged with three counts of distribution of methamphetamine on January 6, 12, and 22, 2016, in Valencia County.
In a plea agreement, Baldonado admitted to possessing more than 50 grams of methamphetamine on January 22, 2016, and selling it to another person for $1,600. The case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the DEA and the HIDTA Region I Narcotics Task Force and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eva M. Fontanez.
The HIDTA Region I Narcotics Task Force is comprised of law enforcement agencies from across the state, including the Albuquerque Police Department, the Albuquerque office of the DEA, the Pojoaque Tribal Police Department, the Rio Rancho Police Department, the Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office, and the Valencia County Sheriff’s Office.
This case is a prime example of the efforts of law enforcement agencies working together to combat the methamphetamine trade in New Mexico. The HIDTA program was created by Congress in 1988 to provide assistance to federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions of the United States.
The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program seeks to reduce drug trafficking and production by facilitating coordinated law enforcement activities and information sharing.
Mandatory Facts:
Defendant: Joseph Baldonado
Criminal Charges: Distribution of methamphetamine in Valencia County, New Mexico.
City and State: Los Lunas, New Mexico
Date: January 6, 2016 (arrest), February 9, 2016 (indictment), April 15, 2016 (sentencing)
Sentence: 60 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release
Dollar Amount: $1,600
Related Federal Cases
- Joseph Baldonado, Methamphetamine Trafficking, New Mexico 2016 · Missouri
- Kirk Castor, Methamphetamine Trafficking, New Mexico 2015 · New Mexico
- Joseph Ray Mendiola, Conspiracy to Possess Methamphetamine and Cocaine with Intent to Distribute, New Mexico 2015 · New Mexico
- Leon Homero Hernandez, Methamphetamine Trafficking, New Mexico 2015 · New Mexico
- James Thomas Vance, Methamphetamine Trafficking, New Mexico 2023 · Arizona
Key Facts
- State: New Mexico
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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