Mexican National Also Ordered to Pay $500,000.00 Money Judgment; Will Be Deported after Completing Prison Sentence
ALBUQUERQUE - Alfredo Ochoa, 41, a Mexican national with legal permanent resident status in the United States, was sentenced today in federal court for his conviction on methamphetamine, crack cocaine and cocaine trafficking charges, announced U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez, Special Agent in Charge Will R. Glaspy of the DEA’s El Paso Field Division and Director Mark Payne of New Mexico HITDA.
Ochoa was sentenced to 150 months in federal prison. He also was ordered to pay a money judgment in the amount of $500,000.00, which represents a portion of the proceeds he derived from his drug trafficking activities. Ochoa, a resident of Albuquerque, N.M., will be deported after completing his prison sentence.
Ochoa was one of 15 defendants charged in late 2011 and early 2012 as a result of an investigation by the DEA and the HIDTA Region I Narcotics Task Force into drug trafficking in Bernalillo County, N.M. During the course of the investigation, law enforcement authorities seized $211,404 in currency, four pounds of methamphetamine, 397 grams of crack cocaine, 199 grams of cocaine and 157.8 grams of Oxycodone, seven vehicles and a firearm. The investigation was designated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF") program, a nationwide Department of Justice program that combines the resources and unique expertise of federal agencies, along with their local counterparts, in a coordinated effort to disrupt and dismantle major drug trafficking organizations.
Ochoa and a codefendant were arrested on a criminal complaint in Sept. 2011, and have been in federal custody since that time. The two men subsequently were indicted on methamphetamine trafficking charges in Oct. 2011. In Feb. 2012, the indictment was superseded to add 13 more codefendants and include additional drug trafficking charges involving the distribution of methamphetamine, crack cocaine, cocaine and heroin. To date, 14 of the 15 defendants charged have been arrested and one remains a fugitive. Twelve of the defendants have entered guilty pleas, and two have entered not guilty pleas and are pending trial.
Ochoa pleaded guilty to three narcotics trafficking conspiracy charges in Aug. 2014, and admitted his role in conspiracies to distribute methamphetamine, crack cocaine and cocaine. In entering his guilty plea, Ochoa admitted his involvement in multiple conspiracies to distribute drugs in Albuquerque between June 2010 and Sept. 2011. Ochoa acknowledged that he frequently sold large quantities of methamphetamine, crack cocaine and cocaine to individuals who resold the drugs to others.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the DEA and the HITDA Region I Narcotics Task Force, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joel R. Meyers and Linda Mott. The HITDA Region I Narcotics Task Force is comprised of agents and officers from the DEA, Albuquerque Police Department, Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office, Valencia County Sheriff’s Office, Rio Rancho Police Department and the Pueblo of Pojoaque Tribal Police Department. The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program was created by Congress with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988. HIDTA is a program of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) which provides assistance to federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions of the United States and seeks to reduce drug trafficking and production by facilitating coordinated law enforcement activities and information sharing.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
