Albuquerque Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Heroin Trafficking Charge

ALBUQUERQUE – David Godfrey, Jr., 28, of Albuquerque, N.M., pleaded guilty this morning in federal court to a heroin trafficking charge under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Godfrey was arrested on Sept. 8, 2014, on a two-count indictment charging him with distribution of more than 100 grams of heroin and using and carrying a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime.  According to the indictment, Godfrey committed the crime  on Feb. 13, 2013, in Bernalillo County, N.M.

During today’s proceedings, Godfrey pled guilty to Count 1 of the indictment charging him with distribution of heroin.  In entering the guilty plea, Godfrey admitted that on Feb. 13, 2013, he handed a bag containing more than 100 grams of heroin to another person in northeast Albuquerque.  Godfrey also admitted that at the time he had a .45 caliber pistol in his waistband for protection.

At sentencing, Godfrey faces a statutory minimum penalty of five years and a maximum of 40 years in federal prison.  He remains detained pending a sentencing hearing which has yet to be scheduled.

This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the DEA and the New Mexico State Police.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Mysliwiec is prosecuting this case.

This case is being prosecuted pursuant to the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative.  The HOPE Initiative is a collaboration 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.