Carlsbad Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Methamphetamine Trafficking Charge

ALBUQUERQUE – Gary Nicholas Allen, 30, of Carlsbad, N.M., pleaded guilty today in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to a methamphetamine trafficking charge under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Allen was arrested on June 23, 2015, on a criminal complaint alleging that he possessed methamphetamine with intent to distribute in Eddy County, N.M., on April 8, 2015.  According to the complaint, Pecos Valley Drug Task Force agents executed a search warrant at a residence in Carlsbad where they seized $3,284.00 in cash, approximately 40 gross grams of methamphetamine, a loaded semi-automatic firearm, and drug paraphernalia.

Allen was subsequently indicted on Sept. 16, 2015, and charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute on April 8, 2015, in Eddy County.

During today’s proceedings, Allen pled guilty to the indictment and admitted that on April 8, 2015, he possessed approximately 33 grams of methamphetamine which he planned to distribute to others.  Allen further admitted that a loaded semi-automatic firearm was also found in his residence.

At sentencing, Allen faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in federal prison followed by not less than three years of supervised release.  He remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing 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.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark A. Saltman of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office is prosecuting this case.

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.