Albuquerque Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Heroin Trafficking Charges

ALBUQUERQUE – Joshua Greene, 19, of Albuquerque, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court to heroin trafficking charges. Greene’s plea agreement includes a recommendation that Greene be sentenced within the range of 60 to 87 months in federal prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court. The plea agreement also requires Greene to forfeit $28,135 in cash, a handgun and a gold necklace set with 1,728 natural diamonds valued at $11,555, and to pay a money judgment in the amount of $28,250.

Greene and co-defendant Kayleb Reyos, 22, were arrested in May 2016, as the result of a DEA investigation into heroin and methamphetamine trafficking in northwest Albuquerque. The complaint alleges that Greene and Reyos sold an aggregate of 36 ounces (2.25 pounds) of heroin and 3 ounces (.18 pounds) of methamphetamine to undercover law enforcement agents during a series of transactions occurring between Feb. 2016 and May 2016. The two men were arrested when the DEA executed a federal search warrant at their residence in northwest Albuquerque. During the search, the DEA seized an additional pound of heroin, bulk amounts of cash, a handgun, and drug paraphernalia.

Greene and Reyos were subsequently charged in a ten-count indictment filed on June 14, 2016. The indictment charged Greene and Reyos with conspiracy to distribute heroin from Feb. 2016 to May 2016. It also charged the two defendants with distributing heroin on Feb. 25, 2016, April 12, 2016, and May 4, 2016, and distributing methamphetamine on March 23, 2016. Greene separately was charged with distributing heroin on Feb. 4, 2016, March 9, 2016, and March 22, 2016, and possessing heroin with intent to distribute on May 17, 2016. Reyos separately was also charged with possessing heroin with intent to distribute on May 17, 2016.

During today’s proceedings, Greene pled guilty to a felony information charging him with conspiracy and distribution of heroin. In entering the guilty plea, Green admitted that from Feb. 4, 2016 through May 17, 2016 he directed a small-scale drug trafficking organization in the northwest Albuquerque. Greene further admitted that on March 22, 2016, he sold approximately 135.1 grams of heroin to an undercover law enforcement agent. Greene remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.

Reyos has entered a plea of not guilty to the charges against him in the indictment. Charges in criminal complaints and indictments are merely accusations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the DEA. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristopher Houghton and Alexander Uballez are 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, Bernalillo County Commissioner Maggie Hart Stebbins, Albuquerque City Councilor Diane Gibson, 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.