El Paso, Texas, Man Sentenced to Prison for Violating Federal Narcotics Trafficking Laws in New Mexico

ALBUQUERQUE – Roberto Marquez, 38, of El Paso, Texas, was sentenced today in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to 168 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for violating federal narcotics trafficking laws.

Marquez was arrested in July 2012, on two indictments charging him with separate drug trafficking offenses.  One indictment charged Marquez with trafficking in methamphetamine and the other charged him with trafficking in marijuana.

 On Jan. 30, 2013, Marquez pled guilty to both indictments.  In pleading guilty to trafficking in methamphetamine, Marquez admitted that between May 6, 2012 and June 1, 2012, he accepted delivery of 3.99 kilograms of methamphetamine which were seized by law enforcement authorities in Las Cruces. 

With respect to the indictment charging him with trafficking in marijuana, Marquez admitted that he participated in transporting a series of loads of marijuana from Texas to other locations throughout the United States.  In his plea agreement, Marquez specifically identified his role in the following marijuana trafficking offenses:

• Between Oct. 14, 2011 and Oct. 16, 2011, Marquez arranged for 369.45 kilograms of marijuana to be transported from Horizon City, Texas to Oklahoma City, Okla.

• In Sept. 2011, Marquez arranged for 324.32 kilograms of marijuana to be delivered to Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

• On Feb. 7, 2012, Marquez conspired to take possession of 317.51 and 453.59 kilograms of marijuana that was to be delivered to Horizon City and loaded onto a semi-truck to be transported elsewhere, but the delivery of the marijuana never took place.

• Between March 4, 2012 and March 10, 2012, Marquez negotiated a drug deal involving 317.51 to 453.59 kilograms of marijuana that were to be delivered to Horizon City and thereafter transported to Oklahoma City.The drug deal was not consummated.

In aggregate, Marquez admitted possessing 693.77 kilograms of marijuana with intent to distribute.  He further acknowledged that he conspired to possess between 1124.68 and 1600.95 kilograms of marijuana with intent to distribute.

These cases were investigated by the Las Cruces office of the DEA and the U.S. Border Patrol.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Alfred Perez of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office prosecuted both cases.