California Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Heroin and Methamphetamine Trafficking Conviction

ALBUQUERQUE – Graciela Meraz, 39, of Chula Vista, Calif., was sentenced this morning in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to 60 months in prison for her conviction on heroin and methamphetamine trafficking charges.  She will be on supervised release for four years after completing her prison sentence.

Meraz was arrested on Feb. 4, 2015, and was charged in a criminal complaint with possession of heroin and methamphetamine with intent to distribute.  According to the complaint, Meraz was arrested by the DEA at the Greyhound Bus Station in Albuquerque after a consensual search of her baggage revealed that she was carrying more than a kilogram of heroin and more than four kilograms of methamphetamine.  Meraz was subsequently indicted on those same charges on Feb. 25, 2015.

On July 22, 2015, Meraz pled guilty to a two-count felony information charging her with possession of methamphetamine and heroin with intent to distribute.  In entering her guilty plea, Meraz admitted that when she was arrested by the DEA on Feb. 4, 2015, she was transporting approximately 9.24 pounds of methamphetamine and 2.53 pounds of heroin from Los Angeles, Calif. to Oklahoma City, Okla.  Meraz acknowledged that she was being paid to transport the drugs.

This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the DEA and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

This case is being prosecuted pursuant to the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative.  The HOPE Initiative is a collaborative effort 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 and opioid trafficking organizations for investigation and prosecution is a priority of the HOPE Initiative.