Las Cruces man Juan Velazquez, 26, pled guilty today in federal court to distributing cocaine and participating in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine in Doña Ana County, New Mexico. The plea, entered in Las Cruces, marks a key development in a federal crackdown on a tight-knit drug network funneling cocaine across the border from Mexico.
Velazquez was arrested in September 2016 following an 18-count indictment tied to a six-month OCDETF investigation. The probe targeted a trafficking ring allegedly led by Joel Ibarra-Torres, 46, a Mexican national, who operated with family members and associates. The conspiracy ran from at least March 31 to September 20, 2016, flooding the region with quarter-kilogram bricks of cocaine.
Velazquez admitted to multiple drug runs, including arranging for a courier to collect five ¼ kilogram packages in El Paso on July 14, 2016, and another six packages on August 25. He also paid $10,000 to a Mexican supplier for prior shipments and directly distributed 250 grams of cocaine to an informant on June 8, July 14, and August 25, 2016.
The indictment includes forfeiture provisions seeking $31,620 in illicit proceeds. Velazquez now faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in federal prison. He remains in custody as prosecutors prepare for sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled.
Other key figures have already begun facing justice. Joel Ibarra, Jr., 21, of Sunland Park, pled guilty on December 20, 2016, to conspiracy and money laundering, admitting to smuggling between 500 grams and 2 kilograms of cocaine and transporting $3,582 in drug cash into Mexico on August 3, 2016. He will serve 27 months under a plea deal.
Gabriela Castro, 24, a legal permanent resident from El Paso, also pled guilty on December 19, 2016, to conspiracy to distribute cocaine after attempting to smuggle 250 grams across the border on August 26, 2016. She faces up to 20 years in prison. Sentencing hearings for both Ibarra and Castro remain pending.
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Key Facts
- State: New Mexico
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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