Las Cruces Woman Gets 33 Months for Heroin Trafficking

Alejandra Gomez, 29, of Las Cruces, N.M., is headed to federal prison for 33 months after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess heroin with intent to distribute. The sentence, handed down in Albuquerque federal court, marks the end of a year-long investigation that exposed a steady flow of high-purity heroin through Doña Ana County.

Gomez was arrested in September 2015 following three controlled buys from an undercover DEA agent. Court records show she distributed 12.9 grams on July 2, 48.3 grams on July 16, and 68.5 grams on August 9—totaling more than 129 grams of heroin over six weeks. The transactions, arranged through coded phone calls, took place in and around Las Cruces, a hotspot for cross-border narcotics movement.

A federal search warrant executed at her residence on September 9, 2015, turned up two firearms, raising concerns about armed drug distribution. Though not charged with weapons offenses, the discovery added gravity to the case and underscored the dangers tied to street-level trafficking. Prosecutors emphasized the proximity of the stash to residential neighborhoods and schools.

Originally indicted in December 2015 on multiple counts of distribution and conspiracy, Gomez ultimately pleaded guilty to a single felony information charge. By admitting guilt, she avoided a trial but confirmed her central role in a coordinated heroin ring operating during the summer of 2015. She will serve three years of supervised release following her prison term.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Beck as part of the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative—a joint effort launched in 2015 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and UNM Health Sciences Center. With opioid deaths spiking across the state, HOPE targets traffickers while expanding treatment and prevention programs in hard-hit communities.

Investigated by the DEA’s Las Cruces office, the case reflects the federal crackdown on mid-level distributors feeding the opioid crisis. The HOPE Initiative’s five-pronged strategy—prevention, treatment, law enforcement, reentry, and strategic planning—aims to dismantle networks like the one Gomez operated. More at HopeInitiativeNM.org.

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