Carlsbad Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug Trafficking and Firearms Charges

ALBUQUERQUE – David V. Munoz, 39, of Carlsbad, N.M., entered a guilty plea in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., this morning to narcotics trafficking and firearms charges.

Munoz was charged by criminal complaint on Nov. 10, 2014, with methamphetamine trafficking charges, and was arrested on Dec. 15, 2014, after being transferred from state custody to federal custody.  According to the complaint, on Oct. 20, 2014, the Pecos Valley Drug Task Force (PVDTF) executed a search warrant on Munoz’s residence and vehicle where they located ammunition and several firearms, approximately 784 grams of methamphetamine, approximately 9.42 grams of heroin, and approximately $1,391.00 in cash.

During today’s change of plea hearing, Munoz pled guilty to a three-count felony information charging him with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute methamphetamine; being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition; and possession of heroin with intent to distribute.  In his plea agreement, Munoz admitted that during an Oct. 20, 2014 search of his residence and vehicle, PVDTF officers seized approximately 81.81 grams of methamphetamine and 11.88 grams of heroin from his bedroom and several firearms and ammunition from throughout his residence.  He also admitted that the officers seized approximately 613.58 grams of methamphetamine from his vehicle.  Munoz admitted that in Oct. 2014, he was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he previously had been convicted of conspiracy to traffic illegal drugs in Oklahoma.

At sentencing, Munoz faces not less than five years and not more than 40 years in prison on the methamphetamine charge; a maximum of ten years in prison on the firearms charge; and not more than 20 years in prison on the heroin charge.  Munoz remains in federal custody pending sentencing, which has yet to be scheduled.

This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the DEA and the Pecos Valley Drug Task Force, and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Selesia Lee Winston of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.

The Pecos Valley Drug Task Force is comprised of officers from the Eddy County Sheriff’s Office, Carlsbad Police Department and Artesia Police Department and is part of the HIDTA Region VI Drug Task Force.  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.