Defendant Prosecuted as Part of HOPE Initiative Which Seeks to Reduce the Number of Opioid-Related Deaths in New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE - Abraham Andres Rios, 37, a Mexican national, pled guilty today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to heroin and cocaine trafficking charges.
Rios and co-defendants Omar Garcia, 34, of Albuquerque, N.M., and Jose Alfredo Martinez-Salas, 37, a Mexican national, were arrested in Sept. 2016, on a criminal complaint charging them with cocaine and heroin trafficking offenses. According to the complaint, federal agents arrested the three defendants after they attempted to distribute approximately 6.1 kilograms of cocaine and a kilogram of heroin to undercover Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents.
Rios and his co-defendants subsequently were charged in a four-count indictment on Oct. 12, 2016. The indictment charged Rios and Garcia with conspiracy and possession of cocaine and heroin with intent to distribute, and Martinez-Salas with distribution of cocaine. According to the indictment, the defendants committed the crimes on Sept. 15, 2016, in Bernalillo County, N.M.
During today’s proceedings, Rios pled guilty to Counts 1, 2 and 3 of the indictment charging him with conspiracy and distribution of heroin and cocaine without the benefit of a plea agreement. At sentencing, Rios faces a statutory minimum penalty of five years and a maximum of 40 years in federal prison. He remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.
On July 27, 2017, Martinez-Salas pled guilty to Count 4 of the indictment charging him with distribution of cocaine. In entering the guilty plea, Martinez-Salas admitted that on Sept. 15, 2016, he distributed approximately 3.2 kilograms of cocaine to others. Martinez-Salas admitted picking up a backpack containing cocaine in Taos, N.M., with the intention of delivering the cocaine to individuals in Albuquerque. Law enforcement officers arrested Martinez-Salas in a restaurant parking lot in northwest Albuquerque after he delivered the cocaine to other individuals. At sentencing, Martinez-Salas faces a statutory mandatory minimum penalty of five years and a maximum of 40 years in federal prison. A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.
Garcia has entered a plea of not guilty to the charges in the indictment. Charges in criminal complaints and indictments are merely accusations and criminal defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque offices of HSI and DEA. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander M. Uballez is prosecuting the case as part of the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative. The HOPE Initiative was launched in January 2015 by the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in response to the national opioid epidemic, which has had a disproportionately devastating impact on New Mexico. Opioid addiction has taken a toll on public safety, public health and the economic viability of our communities. Working in partnership with the DEA, the Bernalillo County Opioid Accountability Initiative, Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC), the Albuquerque Public Schools and other community stakeholders, HOPE’s principal goals are to protect our communities from the dangers associated with heroin and opioid painkillers and reducing the number of opioid-related deaths in New Mexico.
The HOPE Initiative is comprised of five components: (1) prevention and education; (2) treatment; (3) law enforcement; (4) reentry; and (5) strategic planning. HOPE’s law enforcement component 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 and opioid trafficking organizations for investigation and prosecution is a priority of the HOPE Initiative. Learn more about the New Mexico HOPE Initiative at http://www.HopeInitiativeNM.org.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
