Carlsbad Man Sentenced to 151 Months for Federal Methamphetamine Trafficking Conviction

ALBUQUERQUE – Joaquin Hernandez, 41, of Carlsbad, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to 151 months in prison for his conviction on a methamphetamine trafficking charge.  Hernandez will be on supervised release for four years after completing his prison sentence.  He also was ordered to forfeit the $11,031 seized from him when he was arrested.

Pecos Valley Drug Task Force (PVDTF) agents arrested Hernandez in Jan. 2018, after finding approximately 222.54 grams of methamphetamine, marijuana, and $11,031 in cash on Hernandez’s person and in his vehicle following the execution of a state search warrant. 

On May 18, 2018, Hernandez pled guilty to felony information charging him with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute on Jan. 31, 2018, in Eddy County, N.M.  Hernandez entered the guilty plea without the benefit of a plea agreement.

This case was investigated by the DEA and the Pecos Valley Drug Task Force and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joni Autrey of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.

The Pecos Valley Drug Task Force is comprised of officers from the Bureau of Land Management, Eddy County Sheriff’s Office and Carlsbad 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.