Tag: Albuquerque
Billy Begay, Aggravated Assault, Arizona 2022
⏱ 2 min read A brutal shooting in Little Water, New Mexico, left one man fighting for life and another man facing up to 10 years in prison. Anthony Sandoval, a 41-year-old enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, got into a drunken altercation with a friend on July 29, 2024. The dispute turned deadly when…
Juan Carlos Hernandez, Human Smuggling, New Mexico 2022
⏱ 3 min read Four hundred and eighty individuals attempted to cross the US-Mexico border into New Mexico in the two weeks ending April 24, 2026, with 381 charged with various immigration crimes. The charges range from illegal reentry after deportation to alien smuggling and illegal entry, with some defendants having prior convictions for serious…
Juan Garcia, RICO Conspiracy, New Mexico 2022
⏱ 3 min read A brutal prison gang that ruled New Mexico’s correctional facilities and streets with fear for over 40 years has finally been dismantled. The Syndicato de Nuevo Mexico, also known as SNM, was a ruthless racketeering enterprise that operated from 1980 to 2024. Founded in the aftermath of a prison riot in…
Robert Hobbs, Shooting with Intent to Kill, Alabama 2023
⏱ 2 min read A brazen shooting in downtown Albuquerque sent shockwaves through the community, but for Kevin Metcalf, the consequences have finally caught up. The 37-year-old Hobbs man was sentenced to 66 months in prison for firing a shot that struck a security guard at El Rey Liquors on December 29, 2024. Metcalf’s botched…
Mayra Mendivil, Fentanyl Trafficking, New Mexico 2024
⏱ 3 min read A Texas woman was sentenced to time served for her role in a brazen fentanyl trafficking operation that flooded southern New Mexico with the deadly synthetic opioid. Mayra Mendivil, 37, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and three counts of possession with intent to distribute, all connected to her work…
Zachary Babitz, Carjacking Resulting in Death, New Mexico 2024
⏱ 3 min read A string of deadly armed robberies and carjackings terrorized New Mexico in the summer of 2024. Zachary Babitz, 40, was behind the wheel, leaving a trail of destruction and death in his wake. On July 30, Babitz burst into an AutoZone in Albuquerque, brandishing a 9mm handgun and making off with…
Robert Garcia, Laser Attack, New Mexico 2023
⏱ 2 min read An Albuquerque man has been charged with aiming a laser pointer at a Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office helicopter, striking the cockpit over a dozen times. According to court documents, Jorge Pinon Armendariz, 47, directed a green laser at the Metro 1 helicopter on October 7, 2025, while it was assisting ground…
Crisantos Garcia, Federal Drug Trafficking and Firearms Offenses, New Mexico 2025
⏱ 3 min read An alleged jailbreak plot has landed a New Mexico felon in hot water. Crisantos ‘Ventex’ Garcia, a suspected West Side Locos gang member, was charged with federal drug trafficking and firearms offenses for allegedly helping inmate Dakota Briscoe escape from custody. On February 13, 2025, FBI agents executed search warrants at…
Alexander John Duran, Child Sex Abuse, New Mexico 2022
⏱ 2 min read A 31-year-old Pojoaque man is going down for 14 years after a sickening sex abuse case. Alexander John Duran, a member of the Pueblo of Pojoaque, pleaded guilty to abusing a child under 12 between December 2021 and February 2022. The feds say Duran engaged in a sexual act with the…
Juan Carlos Hernandez, Human Smuggling, New Mexico 2023
⏱ 2 min read A stunning 293 individuals are facing federal charges in New Mexico for attempting to breach the state’s borders, with 106 slapped with re-entry charges and 8 accused of smuggling others across. The crackdown, part of the nationwide Operation Take Back America, targeted those trying to evade the law and enter the…
