ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - A U.S. Magistrate Judge sitting in Albuquerque, N.M., found probable cause to support a criminal complaint charging Daniela Cota-Guitimea with a fentanyl trafficking offense. The charge arises from a DEA seizure of approximately 18.144 pounds of fentanyl in Albuquerque on April 16, 2019. Cota-Guitimea was remanded into custody pending trial based on judicial findings that she poses a risk of flight and a danger to the community.
The DEA arrested Cota-Guitimea, 21, a U.S. citizen who resides in Mexico, after seizing approximately 8.10 gross kilograms (18.144 pounds) of fentanyl from Cota-Guitimea’s luggage during an interdiction investigation in Albuquerque.
The penalty for a conviction on the offense charged in the criminal complaint is a statutory minimum penalty of ten years and a maximum of life in federal prison. Charges in criminal complaints are merely accusations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law.
This case was investigated by the DEA, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Nelson is prosecuting the case.
