Arizona man pleads guilty to methamphetamine and cocaine conspiracies
LAS CRUCES -- United States Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales announced that, on February 9, 2011, Ricardo Orozco, 19, of Mesa, Arizona, pled guilty to a four-count indictment charging him with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine and more than 500 grams of cocaine before United States Magistrate Judge Karen B. Molzen. Orozco faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years of imprisonment.
According to the criminal complaint, on March 25, 2010, a Sierra County Sheriff’s Deputy stopped Orozco on Interstate 25 near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. Inside the car Orozco was driving, the deputy found a hidden compartment containing four pounds of methamphetamine. Orozco and his passenger picked up the methamphetamine in Mesa, Arizona and were planning to deliver it to Socorro, New Mexico. The complaint alleged that the passenger offered Orozco $1,000 to help him to deliver the methamphetamine to Socorro. Orozco, who also pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine, admitted that he delivered cocaine to Socorro from Mesa, Arizona on February 18, 2010.
Orozco was arrested on a criminal complaint on March 25, 2010, and was released on a $10,000 unsecured bond. After his guilty plea, United States Magistrate Judge Karen B. Molzen remanded Orozco to the custody of the U.S. Marshal’s pending his sentencing hearing.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Pecos Valley Drug Task Force, and the Sierra County Sheriff’s Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael Nammar and Maria Armijo.
(Download Criminal Complaint 
)