Mendiola Pleads Guilty

Joseph Ray Mendiola, 35, of Roswell, N.M., has pled guilty to federal conspiracy and drug trafficking charges. Mendiola, who was one of 41 individuals charged in September 2015 with drug trafficking offenses, will be sentenced to 120 to 180 months in prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.

The charges against Mendiola stem from an eight-month multi-agency investigation by the FBI, the DEA, Chaves County Metro Narcotics Task Force, Roswell Police Department, Chaves County Sheriff’s Office, and New Mexico State Police. The investigation, which was designated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) program, initially targeted a drug trafficking organization (DTO) allegedly led by Mendiola that distributed methamphetamine in Chaves County.

The investigation later expanded to include drug traffickers who allegedly supplied methamphetamine to the Mendiola DTO and other drug traffickers operating in Chaves County. The OCDETF program combines the resources and unique expertise of federal agencies, along with their local counterparts, in a coordinated effort to disrupt and dismantle major drug trafficking organizations.

Mendiola and 15 other federal defendants were charged in a 24-count indictment filed on September 22, 2015. Count 1 of the indictment charged 15 of the 16 defendants with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine between June 2015 and July 2015. Count 2 charged three defendants with conspiracy to distribute cocaine in July 2015. Counts 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 charged certain defendants with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute in July 2015.

During the course of the investigation, law enforcement officers executed 14 federal search warrants for 10 residences in Roswell, one residence in Dexter, N.M., and three vehicles. The officers seized approximately 5600 grams of methamphetamine, $35,960.00 in cash, and multiple firearms, including two assault rifles. Mendiola pled guilty to conspiracy to possess methamphetamine and cocaine with intent to distribute and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.

In entering the guilty plea, Mendiola admitted conspiring with his co-defendants to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine in Chaves County from June 2015 through July 31, 2015. Mendiola also admitted that on July 25, 2015, and July 31, 2015, he and a co-defendant arranged to purchase two pounds of methamphetamine with the intention of distributing it to others. Mendiola remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.

The federal cases were investigated by the Roswell office of the FBI’s Albuquerque Division, the Las Cruces office of the DEA, Roswell Police Department, Chaves County Sheriff’s Office, the Chaves County Metro Narcotics Task Force, the New Mexico State Police, and the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Randy M. Castellano and John Balla are prosecuting the federal cases.

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