ALBUQUERQUE, NM – Another cog in the New Mexico meth machine is off the streets. Marlene C. Sandoval, 39, of Las Cruces, received a 60-month federal prison sentence today, followed by three years of supervised release, for her role in a methamphetamine trafficking operation. The sentence closes a case dating back to a routine traffic stop that unearthed nearly a pound of the deadly drug.
The bust went down on October 16, 2015, in Doña Ana County. Sandoval and her accomplice, David S. Thompson, 29, were pulled over by New Mexico Department of Transportation officers. A search of their vehicle, conducted with their consent, revealed 499 grams – almost half a kilogram – of crystal methamphetamine stashed inside a shoe. The pair were promptly arrested on charges of methamphetamine trafficking.
A grand jury indictment followed on February 17, 2016, leveling charges of conspiracy and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute against both Sandoval and Thompson. Both defendants ultimately pleaded guilty on April 19, 2016, admitting their intent to flood the streets of Las Cruces with the dangerous substance. They confessed to the speeding stop and the discovery of the hidden drugs.
Thompson, already having faced justice, received a lighter sentence of 36 months in prison and three years of supervised release on September 26, 2016. While Thompson’s sentence is served, Sandoval will now begin her 5-year stint, a clear message that drug trafficking carries serious consequences in New Mexico.
The investigation was a coordinated effort by multiple agencies: the Las Cruces office of the DEA, the New Mexico Department of Transportation Police, the Las Cruces Police Department, and the HIDTA Regional Interagency Drug Task Force/Metro Narcotics Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark A. Saltman, from the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office, spearheaded the prosecution.
The HIDTA Task Force, a multi-agency powerhouse comprised of officers from the Las Cruces Police Department, Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and New Mexico State Police, operates under the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program. Established in 1988, HIDTA aims to dismantle drug trafficking networks through coordinated law enforcement and intelligence sharing – a vital component in combating the relentless flow of narcotics into and through New Mexico.
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Key Facts
- State: New Mexico
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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