Raymond Moya, 34, of Albuquerque, was found guilty by a federal jury on two counts of heroin trafficking, including one count of distributing heroin that resulted in the death of 18-year-old Cameron Weiss on August 13, 2011. The verdict, delivered in Albuquerque’s federal courthouse, marks the culmination of a years-long investigation into a drug deal that cut short the life of a promising high school athlete turned opioid victim.
According to trial testimony, Moya sold heroin to a middleman on August 12, 2011, who then delivered the fatal dose to Weiss. The teenager, a former student at La Cueva High School, had become addicted to opioids after being prescribed painkillers for sports-related injuries. Despite previous rehab attempts and a brief jail stay, Weiss relapsed immediately upon release on August 7, 2011, contacting a go-between who obtained heroin from Moya.
After using heroin the day he got out, Weiss traveled to California with his family before returning to Albuquerque on August 11. The following day, he again reached out to a courier who purchased more heroin from Moya. That night, Weiss used the drug and was dropped off at his home. He went to sleep and was found unresponsive the next morning. A medical examiner confirmed he died from a heroin overdose.
Moya was indicted on May 28, 2015, while already serving a 72-month federal sentence for a prior heroin trafficking conviction in the northeast heights of Albuquerque. At trial, which began May 6, 2019, prosecutors presented testimony from law enforcement, medical experts, and associates who detailed Moya’s role in the distribution chain that led directly to Weiss’s death.
Due to his status as a career offender with at least four prior felony convictions, Moya now faces severe penalties: up to 30 years in prison on the first count of heroin distribution, and a mandatory life sentence on the second count—distribution resulting in death. The sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.
“Hundreds of people die each year in New Mexico from heroin and opioid overdoses,” said U.S. Attorney John C. Anderson following the verdict. “Drug dealers who fuel this epidemic must be held accountable,” added DEA El Paso Division Special Agent in Charge Kyle W. Williamson. Moya remains in federal custody as the justice system prepares to deliver his punishment.
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Key Facts
- State: New Mexico
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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