Eleven pounds of high-grade cocaine—worth an estimated street value in the hundreds of thousands—were yanked from the trunk of a Texas man’s vehicle at a Border Patrol checkpoint in southern New Mexico, landing Kyle Marshall Hogue behind bars on federal drug charges. The bust, which went down in the early hours of February 27, 2018, exposed a brazen attempt to move a small mountain of narcotics across state lines.
Hogue, 29, of El Paso, Texas, was taken into custody after agents at the Interstate 25 checkpoint in Dona Ana County discovered approximately 4.85 kilograms—10.7 pounds—of cocaine stashed inside his car. The drugs were concealed in hidden compartments, according to a criminal complaint filed by federal prosecutors, which alleges Hogue made no attempt to declare the cargo or explain its presence.
A U.S. Magistrate Judge in Las Cruces found probable cause to hold Hogue on a federal cocaine trafficking charge, ordering him detained without bond as he awaits trial. The magistrate’s ruling came after Border Patrol agents detailed how the discovery unfolded during a routine inspection that quickly turned suspicious. Hogue’s vehicle was pulled aside for secondary screening, where drug-sniffing canines and manual searches uncovered the illicit load.
The case was jointly investigated by the U.S. Border Patrol and the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Las Cruces office, highlighting the ongoing collaboration between federal agencies in intercepting large-scale drug operations along the Southwest corridor. Authorities have long targeted I-25 as a trafficking artery used by cartels and independent dealers moving product from the border into the interior U.S.
If convicted, Hogue faces a statutory mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in federal prison. No plea has been entered yet, and the criminal complaint remains an accusation. Under U.S. law, defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander B. Shapiro of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office is prosecuting the case. As the federal machine gears up for trial, the seizure stands as a stark reminder of the volume and velocity of narcotics still flooding across the border—and the lives caught in the crossfire.
Related Federal Cases
- Joshua Alexander Jimenez Arrested in 18-Pound Meth Bust · New Mexico
- El Paso Men Plead Guilty to Cocaine Trafficking in New Mexico · New Mexico
- Texas Woman Pleads Guilty to Cocaine Haul at NM Checkpoint · New Mexico
- Texas Woman Faces 10 Years for 20 Pounds of Cocaine · Illinois
- Cocaine Trafficking Rings Busted in New Mexico · New Mexico
Key Facts
- State: New Mexico
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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