Stetson Holliday, Prescription Drug Trafficking, New Mexico 2016

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – In a shocking turn of events, Albuquerque resident Stetson Holliday, 23, has pleaded guilty to a federal prescription drug trafficking charge. Holliday's guilty plea comes after a lengthy investigation by the DEA and follows a string of arrests in the city.

According to court documents, Holliday distributed approximately ten Xanax (Alprazolam) tablets to an undercover DEA Special Agent on November 30, 2016. The arrest was made on January 16, 2018, after Holliday was indicted on February 14, 2018, for distributing a Schedule IV controlled substance, alprazolam, on November 30, 2016, in Bernalillo County, N.M.

Holliday's guilty plea was made without the benefit of a plea agreement, leaving him facing a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled, leaving the community wondering what fate awaits the 23-year-old.

The case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the DEA and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter J. Eicker as part of the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative. The HOPE Initiative was launched in January 2015 by the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in response to the national opioid epidemic, which has had a disproportionately devastating impact on New Mexico.

Opioid addiction has taken a toll on public safety, public health, and the economic viability of our communities. Working in partnership with the DEA, the Bernalillo County Opioid Accountability Initiative, Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC), the Albuquerque Public Schools, and other community stakeholders, HOPE’s principal goals are to protect our communities from the dangers associated with heroin and opioid painkillers and reducing the number of opioid-related deaths in New Mexico.

The HOPE Initiative is comprised of five components: (1) prevention and education; (2) treatment; (3) law enforcement; (4) reentry; and (5) strategic planning. HOPE’s law enforcement component is led by the Organized Crime Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DEA in conjunction with their federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners. Targeting members of major heroin and opioid trafficking organizations for investigation and prosecution is a priority of the HOPE Initiative.

Learn more about the New Mexico HOPE Initiative at http://www.HopeInitiativeNM.org.

Holliday, a 23-year-old Albuquerque resident, was arrested on January 16, 2018, after distributing approximately ten Xanax tablets to an undercover DEA Special Agent on November 30, 2016. The defendant was indicted on February 14, 2018, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison if convicted.

The case is a stark reminder of the ongoing opioid epidemic and the need for continued efforts to combat it. As the HOPE Initiative continues to work towards its goals, the community remains vigilant in the fight against prescription drug trafficking.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-nm/pr/albuquerque-man-pleads-guilty-federal-prescription-drug-trafficking-charge