Steven Roman, Methamphetamine Trafficking, New Mexico 2014

Methamphetamine Trafficking Plagues New Mexico

In a recent case, 28-year-old Steven Roman of Mesilla Park, New Mexico, was sentenced to 77 months in federal prison followed by four years of supervised release for his methamphetamine trafficking conviction.

Roman and co-defendants Guillermo Ortega, 43, and Salvador Ortega, 35, both of Las Cruces, were charged with methamphetamine trafficking offenses in a four-count indictment filed on June 18, 2014.

The indictment charged Salvador Ortega and Guillermo Ortega with distributing methamphetamine on April 2, 2014; Guillermo Ortega and Roman with distributing methamphetamine on April 2, 2014; and Guillermo Ortega with distributing methamphetamine on April 2, 2014.

It also charged Guillermo Ortega with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition on April 14, 2014. The indictment alleged that the three men committed these crimes in Doña Ana County, New Mexico.

Roman pled guilty to Count 2 of the indictment on September 23, 2015, and admitted that on April 2, 2014, he distributed 57 grams of methamphetamine to a person working with law enforcement.

Guillermo Ortega pled guilty on September 3, 2015, and admitted that on April 2, 2014, he and his co-defendants distributed 95 grams of methamphetamine to a person working with law enforcement.

Roman was sentenced to 77 months in federal prison followed by four years of supervised release, while Guillermo Ortega faces a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of 40 years in federal prison.

Salvador Ortega entered a guilty plea to Count 1 of the indictment without the benefit of a plea agreement on January 21, 2016.

This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the FBI, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Y. Armijo of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office prosecuting the case.

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