Arizona Man Sentenced for Methamphetamine Trafficking Conviction in New Mexico

ALBUQUERQUE – Carlos Matta Heredia, 32, of Phoenix, Ariz., was sentenced today in Las Cruces, N.M., to 63 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his federal methamphetamine trafficking conviction.

Heredia was arrested in May 2016, on a criminal complaint after law enforcement officers located approximately 2,721.7 grams (six pounds) of methamphetamine in Heredia’s vehicle during a routine traffic stop. According to the complaint, the offense took place on May 26, 2016, on Interstate 10 in Luna County, N.M.

On Sept. 13, 2016, Heredia pled guilty to a felony information charging him with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. In entering the guilty plea, Heredia admitted that on May 26, 2016, law enforcement officers recovered six pounds of methamphetamine from his vehicle during a traffic stop. Heredia further admitted that he was transporting the drugs with the intention of delivering them to another person.

This case was investigated by the HIDTA Regional Interagency Drug Task Force/Metro Narcotics Task Force and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah M. Davenport of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces branch office.

The HIDTA Regional Interagency Drug Task Force/Metro Narcotics Task Force is comprised of officers from the Las Cruces Police Department, the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, HSI and the New Mexico State Police. The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program was created by Congress with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988. HIDTA is a program of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) which provides assistance to federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions of the United States and seeks to reduce drug trafficking and production by facilitating coordinated law enforcement activities and information sharing.