Jason Harrison, 23, of Las Cruces, N.M., is one step closer to a federal prison cell after pleading guilty today to methamphetamine trafficking charges in an Albuquerque courtroom. The plea, entered under a binding agreement with federal prosecutors, seals his admission to selling crystal meth to undercover law enforcement agents on two separate dates in July 2016.
Harrison wasn’t acting alone. He was charged alongside Ashley Valenzuela, 23, also of Las Cruces, in a July 2016 federal indictment alleging conspiracy and distribution of methamphetamine. Both were arrested and charged in connection with drug deals that went down in Dona Ana County — transactions caught on surveillance and sealed by controlled buys.
Court records show Harrison admitted he and Valenzuela teamed up to distribute meth on July 1, 2016, and again on July 6, 2016. On both occasions, they sold the illicit drug directly to undercover agents. The operation, now closed, was the result of a joint investigation by the FBI’s Las Cruces office and local police — a reminder that federal heat is coming down hard on Southwest drug networks.
Valenzuela beat Harrison to the courthouse, pleading guilty on January 11, 2017. In her plea, she confirmed the duo worked in tandem, each playing a defined role in the drug sales. No plea deal erased accountability — both admitted to knowing participation in the distribution ring.
Now, both face the full weight of the federal system. The statutory maximum penalty for their crimes is 20 years in prison. No sentencing date has been set, but neither Harrison nor Valenzuela is going anywhere — both remain locked up in federal custody, awaiting their day before the judge.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah M. Davenport of the Las Cruces Branch Office. With the FBI and Las Cruces Police Department leading the investigation, authorities are sending a message: drug trafficking in southern New Mexico won’t go unchecked, and those who deal face federal time.
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Key Facts
- State: New Mexico
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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