Larry Valadez, Methamphetamine and Heroin Trafficking, New Mexico, 2017

69 Months in Prison for Albuquerque Methamphetamine and Heroin Trafficker

ALBUQUERQUE – Larry Valadez, 34, of Albuquerque, N.M., has been sentenced to 69 months in prison for his conviction on methamphetamine and heroin trafficking charges. Valadez will be on supervised release for four years following his prison sentence.

Valadez and co-defendant Johnny Ramirez, 34, also of Albuquerque, were charged on Dec. 1, 2015, with drug trafficking offenses in an eight-count indictment. The indictment alleged that the two men committed the crimes in Bernalillo County, N.M.

On Jan. 19, 2017, Valadez pled guilty to distributing methamphetamine and heroin. In entering the guilty plea, Valadez admitted that on May 19, 2015, he sold approximately 23.52 grams of methamphetamine and 4.3 grams of heroin to an individual working with the FBI.

Valadez’s co-defendant, Johnny Ramirez, pled guilty to two counts of methamphetamine distribution and one count of heroin distribution on Aug. 1, 2016. Ramirez admitted that on May 19, 2015, he arranged for a co-conspirator to sell 23.52 grams of methamphetamine and 4.3 grams of heroin to an individual working with the FBI. Ramirez also admitted that on June 16, 2015, he sold 14.71 grams of methamphetamine to the same individual. Ramirez was sentenced to 84 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release on Nov. 8, 2016.

The case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the FBI and the New Mexico State Police. The Organized Crimes Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 a comprehensive approach to addressing the opioid epidemic in New Mexico. It includes prevention and education, treatment, law enforcement, reentry, and strategic planning components. The law enforcement component of the HOPE Initiative targets members of major heroin and opioid trafficking organizations for investigation and prosecution. Learn more about the New Mexico HOPE Initiative at http://www.HopeInitiativeNM.org.

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