ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Tony Derrick Torrez, 33, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking and firearms charges in federal court. The plea agreement recommends a prison sentence of 93 to 101 months, followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.
Torrez also agreed to forfeit $64,000 in drug proceeds and firearms and ammunition seized during the investigation. The guilty plea was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney James D. Tierney, Special Agent in Charge Will R. Glaspy of the El Paso Division of the DEA, Special Agent in Charge Thomas G. Atteberry of the Phoenix Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Chief Gorden E. Eden Jr. of the Albuquerque Police Department.
Torrez was initially charged in a federal complaint in October 2015 with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and using and carrying firearms in relation to drug trafficking crimes. The complaint alleged that Torrez committed these crimes on October 21 and 22, 2015, in Bernalillo County, New Mexico.
Torrez was subsequently charged in a five-count indictment with possessing marijuana with intent to distribute; maintaining a place for the purpose of distributing controlled substances; possession of cocaine, testosterone, and its esters; possession of firearms and ammunition by an illegal drug user; and possessing firearms and ammunition in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
According to court filings, the federal investigation into Torrez began on October 21, 2015, when the Albuquerque Police Department received a tip about a suspect who shot and killed a child during a road rage incident. The investigation led to the seizure of approximately $64,000 in cash, marijuana, firearms, and ammunition from Torrez’s residence and vehicles.
Torrez previously pleaded guilty in December 2016 to related state court charges arising out of the murder of a child during the October 21, 2015 road rage incident and was sentenced to a 16-year term of imprisonment. Under the terms of the plea agreement in the federal case, Torrez’s federal sentence will run concurrently with his state sentence.
Torrez is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court at a later date.
Torrez’s guilty plea and the subsequent sentence will be a significant blow to the drug trafficking operation in New Mexico.
Related Federal Cases
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- David Amaya, Drug Trafficking, New Mexico 2024 · Colorado
- Crisantos ‘Ventex’ Garcia, Felon in Possession of Firearms and Ammunition, New Mexico 2026 · Oklahoma
- Carlos Guatimea Augirre, Meth and Fentanyl Trafficking, Montana 2022 · Washington
Key Facts
- State: New Mexico
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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