ALBUQUERQUE - A series of undercover investigations by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Pecos Valley Drug Task Force and the Artesia Police Department have resulted in the filing of federal firearms and narcotics trafficking charges against eleven individuals. On Sept. 1 and 2, 2015, law enforcement officers engaged in a multi-agency operation in Eddy County, N.M., and arrested seven of the federal defendants. The officers also arrested three others on state felony narcotics trafficking charges during the two-day law enforcement operation.
The results of the undercover investigations were announced by U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez, Special Agent in Charge Thomas G. Atteberry of the Phoenix Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Commander James A. McCormack of the Pecos Valley Drug Task Force, and Chief Don Raley of the Artesia Police Department.
The seven federal defendants arrested during the law enforcement operation made their initial appearances in federal court in Roswell, N.M., this morning. One of the federal defendants is in state custody and will be transferred to federal custody to face the charges against him, and two others have yet to be apprehended and are considered fugitives. The eleventh federal defendant was shot and killed on Tuesday morning when officers attempted to arrest him.
The undercover investigations leading to the federal charges were led by the ATF office Las Cruces, the Pecos Valley Drug Task Force and the Artesia Police Department. During the course of the undercover investigations, law enforcement officers seized or purchased 21 firearms and ammunition, 49 ½ sticks of dynamite, approximately 240.16 grams of methamphetamine, a pound of marijuana, and 33 tablets of prescription opioids.
The following ten defendants are facing federal charges as a result of the undercover investigations:
* Victor R. Castillo, 36, of Artesia, N.M., is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and unlawful possession of an unregistered short-barreled shotgun. The indictment alleges that Castillo committed the crimes in Eddy County in Jan. 2015. If convicted, Castillo faces a statutory maximum penalty of ten years in prison. Castillo was arrested on Sept. 1, 2015.
* Frederic Dodd, 39, of McIntosh, N.M., is charged with being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. The indictment alleges that Dodd committed the crime in Eddy County in May 2014. If convicted, Dodd faces a statutory maximum penalty of ten years in prison. Dodd was arrested on Sept. 1, 2015.
* Charles E. Gist, 56, of Artesia, N.M., and Jose Alfredo Villa, 34, of Lake Arthur, N.M., are charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine. The indictment alleges that the crimes were committed in Eddy County in Nov. and Dec. 2014. If convicted, each man faces a statutory mandatory minimum penalty of five years and a maximum of 40 years in prison. Gist was arrested on Sept. 2, 2015, and Villa was arrested on Sept. 1, 2015.
* Dallas Ellis Hnulik, 27, of Artesia, N.M., is charged with distributing methamphetamine on two occasions. The indictment alleges that he committed the crimes in Eddy County in June and July 2014. If convicted, Hnulik faces a statutory mandatory minimum penalty of five years and a maximum of 40 years in prison. Hnulik is in state custody on other charges and will be transferred to federal custody to face the charges in the indictment.
* Albert Douglas Lotts, 36, and Jackie Dean Brown, III, 34, both of Artesia, N.M., are charged with being felons in possession of firearms and ammunition. The indictment alleges that the two men committed these crimes in Eddy County in Jan. 2014. If convicted, each man faces a statutory maximum penalty of ten years in prison. Lotts was arrested on Sept. 1, 2015. Brown has yet to be arrested and is considered a fugitive.
* Jesus Adam Perez, 39, of McIntosh, N.M., is charged with the unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor and distributing marijuana. The indictment alleges that Perez committed these crimes in Eddy County in Nov. 2014. If convicted, Perez faces a statutory maximum of ten years in federal prison. Perez has yet to be arrested and is considered a fugitive.
* Floyd Albert Sherrell, 33, of Artesia, N.M. is charged with being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition and distributing methamphetamine. The indictment alleges that he committed the crimes in Eddy County in June 2014. If convicted, Sherrell faces a statutory maximum penalty of ten years on the firearms charge and a statutory mandatory minimum penalty of five years and a maximum of 40 years in prison on the methamphetamine charge.
* Ronald Troy Bettencourt, 54, of Artesia, N.M., is charged in a five-count indictment that also charged Michael Todd Evans, 47. Bettencourt is charged with being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, being a felon in possession of explosives, and distributing methamphetamine. Bettencourt is alleged to have committed the crimes in Eddy County in Jan. 2014. If convicted, Bettencourt faces a statutory maximum penalty of ten years in prison on the firearms and explosives counts and a statutory mandatory minimum penalty of five years and a maximum of 40 years in prison on the methamphetamine charge. Bettencourt was arrested on Sept. 1, 2015. Evans was shot and killed on Sept. 1, 2015 when he opened fire on officers who were seeking to execute a warrant authorizing his arrest.
The prosecutions of Bettencourt, Brown, Castillo and Hnulik are being pursued under a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst" offenders for federal prosecution. Under this initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies work with New Mexico’s District Attorneys and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders for federal prosecution with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible. This initiative recognizes that on a per capita basis, New Mexico’s violent crime rates, including that of Eddy County, significantly exceed the national average.
The following defendants, all of whom reside in Carlsbad, N.M., were arrested on state felony narcotics trafficking charges: Ricky Gauntt, 61, Leah Hayhurst, 29, and Amanda Lujan, 27.
Charges in indictments and criminal complaints are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Y. Armijo of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office is prosecuting the federal cases. The state cases are being prosecuted by the 5th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. The federal cases were investigated by the Las Cruces office of ATF, the Pecos Valley Drug Task Force and the Artesia Police Department. The following agencies participated in the Sept. 1-2, 2015 law enforcement operation: ATF, Pecos Valley Drug Task Force, Artesia Police Department, Carlsbad Police Department, Eddy County Sheriff’s Office, Lake Arthur Police Department, and the Probation and Parole Division of the New Mexico Corrections Department.
The Pecos Valley Drug Task Force is comprised of officers from the Eddy County Sheriff’s Office, Carlsbad Police Department and Artesia Police Department and is part of the HIDTA Region VI Drug Task Force. 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.
Photographs of the federal fugitives, Jackie Dean Brown, III, and Jesus Adam Perez are attached to this press release. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of these fugitive is asked to contact the ATF in Las Cruces at 575-522-0699.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
