ALBUQUERQUE - Andy Garcia, Jr., 43, of Deming, N.M., pled guilty yesterday in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M. to a methamphetamine trafficking charge. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Andy Garcia will be sentenced to ten years in prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.
Andy Garcia was charged together with co-defendants Leslie Frank Williams, 52, and Domingo Rodriguez, 46, both of Deming, Oscar Garcia, 46, of Okla., and Estella Aguilar, 44, of Tucson, Ariz., in a nine-count indictment filed on April 21, 2016. The indictment alleged that the five co-defendants conspired to distribute methamphetamine from July 2015 through April 2016. It also charged Williams with distributing methamphetamine on four occasions between Jan 2015 and Sept. 2015; Williams and Rodriguez with distributing methamphetamine in Nov. 2015; and Rodriguez, Oscar Garcia and Andy Garcia with possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute in Jan. 2016. The indictment charged Rodriguez, Oscar Garcia and Aguilar with conspiring to commit money laundering offenses in Feb. 10, 2016; and Aguilar with money laundering on Feb. 10, 2016. According to the indictment, the crimes took place in Luna County, N.M. The indictment included forfeiture allegations requiring the co-defendants to forfeit $1,000,000 to the United States.
During yesterday’s proceedings, Andy Garcia pled guilty to a felony information charging him with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. In entering the guilty plea, Andy Garcia admitted that on Jan. 4, 2016, he traveled by bus from Deming to California to pick up two pounds of methamphetamine. He further admitted that on Jan. 6, 2016, law enforcement agents seized his bag, which contained the methamphetamine while he was on the bus returning to Deming. Andy Garcia remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.
Rodriguez previously entered a guilty plea on Sept. 13, 2016, and Williams entered a guilty plea on Sept. 20, 2016. Sentencing hearings have yet to be scheduled. The remaining two co-defendants have entered pleas of not guilty to the indictment. Charges in indictments are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of Homeland Security Investigations and the Luna County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark A. Saltman and Dustin C. Segovia of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office are prosecuting the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
