Carlsbad man sentenced to 20 years in prison for methamphetamine trafficking

            ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Jerry Twaddle, 40, of Carlsbad, New Mexico, was sentenced on Sept. 9 in federal court to 20 years in prison on drug trafficking charges.

            On Feb. 6, 2019, a jury found Twaddle guilty on charges of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, using a communication facility (telephone) to further the commission of a drug trafficking crime and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.

            The case involved 10 members of a drug trafficking organization who conspired to distribute methamphetamine in Eddy and Chaves Counties in New Mexico from May through Oct. of 2017. On Sept. 7, 2017, Twaddle was arrested after he threw approximately two pounds of methamphetamine out of the window of a car as he attempted to evade a traffic stop, reaching speeds of up 140 miles per hour. Twaddle was apprehended when his vehicle came to a stop due to a shredded tire. Law enforcement were able to recover the bundles of methamphetamine along the route.

            Following his term in federal prison, Twaddle will be subject to five years of supervised release.

            The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and the Pecos Valley Drug Task Force investigated this case in conjunction with the Eddy County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Clara Cobos and Renee Camacho prosecuted the case.

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