ALBUQUERQUE - Darmarvis Marquel Lee, 30, of San Bernardino, Calif., was sentenced yesterday afternoon in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to 27 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for his heroin trafficking conviction.
Lee was arrested on Aug. 22, 2014, at the Amtrak Train Station in Albuquerque after a consensual search of his baggage by DEA agents revealed that he was in possession of 2.28 kilograms of heroin. Lee subsequently was indicted on Sept. 9, 2014, and charged with possession of heroin with intent to distribute.
On May 5, 2015, Lee pled guilty to the indictment. In his plea agreement, Lee admitted that on Aug. 22, 2014, while he was on an Amtrak train and during a stop in Albuquerque, law enforcement officers found two wrapped bundles containing heroin in his baggage. He also admitted that he was paid $4,000.00 to transport and deliver the drugs.
This case was investigated by the Interdiction Unit of the DEA’s Albuquerque office which focuses on disrupting the flow of narcotics, weapons, and the proceeds of illegal activities as they are smuggled into or through New Mexico in passenger buses, passenger trains, commercial vehicles and automobiles. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rumaldo Armijo prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative. The HOPE Initiative is a collaborative effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center that is partnering with the Bernalillo County Opioid Accountability Initiative with the overriding goal of reducing the number of opioid-related deaths in the District of New Mexico. The HOPE Initiative comprised of five components: (1) prevention and education; (2) treatment; (3) law enforcement; (4) reentry; and (5) strategic planning. The law enforcement component of the HOPE Initiative is led by the Organized Crime Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DEA in conjunction with their federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners. Targeting members of major heroin trafficking organizations for investigation and prosecution is a priority of the HOPE Initiative.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
