ALBUQUERQUE – Ruidoso Downs’ Octavio Herrera, 54, entered a guilty plea today in federal court for his role in a methamphetamine trafficking ring that has plagued Lincoln County. The charges stem from an intensive 18-month investigation spearheaded by the DEA and BIA into meth distribution on the Mescalero Apache Reservation.
Herrera was one of 34 suspects nabbed in the sweeping operation, which also targeted drug trafficking organizations within the Reservation and southeastern New Mexico. He is among the 17 federal defendants who have already pleaded guilty or entered not guilty pleas.
The investigation began in May 2014 following a surge in violent crime on the reservation, much of it linked to methamphetamine use. Herrera was finally arrested in September 2016, charged with conspiracy, possession of meth with intent to distribute, and using a communication facility for drug trafficking purposes.
Today, Herrera admitted to conspiring to distribute meth between Hobbs and Lovington from March 4, 2015, to March 12, 2015. He also confessed to possessing 230.1 grams of methamphetamine on the latter date, with the intent to distribute it further.
At sentencing, Herrera faces a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of 40 years in federal prison. His co-defendants, Rumaldo Varela Enriquez and Johnny Flowers, await their own sentences after also pleading guilty to meth trafficking offenses.
The multi-agency investigation that led to Herrera’s conviction was one of the first to employ electronic surveillance on Native American land, successfully seizing more than ten kilograms of methamphetamine. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Terri J. Abernathy and Clara Cobos, along with Mescalero Tribal Prosecutor Melissa Chavez, are handling the prosecution.
Related Federal Cases
- Albuquerque Drug Kingpin Pleads Guilty to Meth Distribution · New Mexico
- Mike Jensen Pleads Guilty to Gun-Linked Meth Distribution · New Mexico
- Farmington Meth Dealer Brandon Smith Gets 5 Years · New Mexico
- Stewart Faces Life Behind Bars in Meth Trafficking Case · New Mexico
- San Juan County Trio Admits Meth Trafficking Role · New Mexico
Key Facts
- State: New Mexico
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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