Taos Heroin Ring: Nicholas Baca Pleads Guilty

Nicholas Baca, 31, of Taos County, has copped to his role in a sprawling heroin trafficking and money laundering ring that pumped deadly doses into northern New Mexico for over three years. Baca entered a guilty plea in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to conspiracy to distribute heroin, admitting he moved between 100 and 400 grams of the drug in a sustained operation out of Questa, N.M. The plea comes as part of a federal crackdown on a network led by Ivan Romero, 40, that law enforcement has tied to daily heroin distribution and systematic cash laundering.

Baca admitted in court that starting in early 2015, he received roughly 6 grams of heroin each day from Ivan Romero—2.5 grams of which he kept for personal use—while peddling the rest across the Questa area. On April 2, 2015, law enforcement seized approximately 6.2 grams of heroin from Baca in Taos, N.M., evidence that helped cement the case. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Baca now faces up to 33 months in federal prison, followed by a term of court-determined supervised release.

The indictment originally charged Baca and seven others in December 2015 with heroin trafficking and money laundering. It was later superseded in February 2016 to add Elena Carabajal, 26, as the ninth defendant and include five additional charges. The superseding indictment alleges that from at least June 2012 through December 2015, Baca, Ivan Romero, and seven co-defendants conspired to distribute heroin across Taos County. It further charges Ivan Romero, Ricco Romero, 29, Melissa Romero, 37, and Wilma Romero, 66, with laundering the proceeds of their drug empire.

So far, seven of the nine defendants have pleaded guilty. Ivan Romero caved on December 5, 2016, pleading guilty to both heroin trafficking and money laundering conspiracies. His brother Ricco Romero pleaded guilty the same day, admitting not only to drug and laundering charges but also to possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking. Melissa Romero pleaded guilty on December 8, 2016, to the money laundering conspiracy, while Tyler Baker, 45, of Taos County, pleaded guilty in October 2016 to participating in the heroin conspiracy.

Elena Carabajal entered her guilty plea on January 4, 2017, to possession of heroin with intent to distribute. Wilma Romero followed on January 5, 2017, pleading guilty to both the money laundering conspiracy and possession of heroin with intent to distribute. Court filings and plea agreements confirm that Ivan Romero was the ringleader, sourcing bulk heroin from suppliers in Albuquerque and Los Lunas, N.M., with his brother Ricco handling logistics and distribution prep.

Once delivered, the heroin was cut, repackaged, and pushed through a network of couriers and street-level dealers like Baca. The indictment also includes forfeiture provisions demanding the U.S. seize any and all assets derived from the criminal enterprise. The case, led by the DEA over a 15-month multi-agency investigation, continues to dismantle one of northern New Mexico’s most entrenched heroin operations.