Yusef Casanova, Methamphetamine Trafficking, New Mexico 2016

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico - In a shocking turn of events, a federal jury sitting in Albuquerque, New Mexico, returned a guilty verdict against Yusef Casanova, 46, of Albuquerque, on methamphetamine trafficking and firearms charges today after a four-day trial before Senior U.S. District Judge James A. Parker.

Casanova was charged with violating the federal narcotics and firearms laws in an indictment originally filed in June 2016, and later superseded in March 2017. The superseding indictment charged Casanova with distributing methamphetamine on June 7, 2016, in Bernalillo County, New Mexico. It also charged Casanova with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and with unlawfully possessing an unregistered firearm.

According to the superseding indictment, in June 2016, Casanova was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he previously had been convicted of distributing controlled substances, escape from jail, tampering with evidence, robbery, and receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle.

The evidence at trial established that in early June 2016, an ATF Special Agent was supervising an informant on an undercover operation in southeast Albuquerque that targeted narcotics and firearms crimes. On June 6, 2016, the informant obtained a telephone number for Casanova, with the understanding that Casanova would sell him methamphetamine. That day, the informant had four recorded telephone calls with Casanova, during which Casanova negotiated the sale of two ounces of methamphetamine and a firearm, a sawed-off rifle, to the informant.

Casanova will remain detained until his sentencing hearing, which has not been scheduled. At sentencing, Casanova faces a statutory mandatory minimum of ten years and a maximum of life imprisonment, making this a serious case with severe consequences.

The case was investigated by the ATF and DEA offices in Albuquerque. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samuel A. Hurtado and Mark C. Pfizenmayer are prosecuting the case.

Yusef Casanova, a 46-year-old Albuquerque man, was convicted of distributing methamphetamine on June 7, 2016, in Bernalillo County, New Mexico. The conviction stems from an indictment originally filed in June 2016 and later superseded in March 2017. Casanova faces a statutory mandatory minimum of ten years and a maximum of life imprisonment at sentencing.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-nm/pr/federal-jury-convicts-albuquerque-man-methamphetamine-and-firearms-charges