Mario Orlando Jude Serrano, Methamphetamine Trafficking, New Mexico 2012

A Las Cruces man has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for violating federal narcotics trafficking laws.

Mario Orlando Jude Serrano, 34, of Las Cruces, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court to 168 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his methamphetamine trafficking conviction.

Serrano was arrested on Dec. 19, 2012, on a criminal complaint charging him with conspiracy and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute on Dec. 18, 2012, in Doña Ana County, N.M.

According to the criminal complaint, on Oct. 18, 2012, HIDTA Regional Interagency Drug Task Force/Metro Narcotics Task Force officers executed a traffic stop on Serrano’s vehicle based on information from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) that Serrano was trafficking methamphetamine from Truth or Consequences, N.M., to Las Cruces.

Further investigation revealed that Serrano and his wife were carrying quantities of methamphetamine inside their body cavities when they were stopped by law enforcement officers on Oct. 18, 2012.

Serrano was subsequently indicted on Dec. 11, 2013, and charged with conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute on Oct. 18, 2012, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute from Oct. 18, 2012 through Oct. 22, 2012, and being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition on Oct. 18, 2012.

All crimes alleged in the indictment took place in Doña Ana County. Serrano was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because of his previous felony convictions of possession of a controlled substance, felon in possession of a firearm, distribution of marijuana, burglary, and receiving stolen property.

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