FEDERAL JURY FINDS CAREER OFFENDER FROM ALBUQUERQUE GUILTY OF DISTRIBUTING HEROIN THAT RESULTED IN TEEN’S OVERDOSE DEATH

Raymond Moya Convicted of Selling Heroin Resulting in Death of

18-Year-Old Cameron Weiss, a Former La Cueva High School Student who

Became Addicted to Opioids Following Treatment for a Sports-Related Injuries

           ALBUQUERQUE – A federal jury sitting in Albuquerque, N.M., returned a guilty verdict early this afternoon finding Raymond Moya, 34, of Albuquerque, on two heroin trafficking offenses, including a distribution of heroin on Aug. 12, 2011, that resulted in the death of an Albuquerque teenager on Aug. 13, 2011.  The verdict was announced by U.S. Attorney John C. Anderson and Special Agent in Charge Kyle W. Williamson of the DEA’s El Paso Division.

In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Anderson said, “Hundreds of people die each year in New Mexico from heroin and opioid overdoses.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to working with the DEA and its other partners across federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement to combat the abuse of heroin and prescription opioids, which has had, and continues to have, devastating effects on victims, their families, and our communities.”

“New Mexico has been hit hard by the heroin and opioid epidemic that is plaguing our country,” said Kyle W. Williamson, Special Agent in Charge of DEA’s El Paso Division.  “Drug dealers who fuel this epidemic must be held accountable for their actions, which – all too often – have lethal consequences.  DEA will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to bring to justice those who prey on our communities and to do our part to reduce overdose deaths.”

            Moya was indicted on May 28, 2015, and charged with distributing heroin on Aug. 7, 2011, and distributing heroin on Aug. 12, 2011 resulting in Mr. Weiss’s death.  At the time the indictment was filed, Moya was serving a 72-month federal prison sentence for his conviction for committing a heroin trafficking crime in the northeast heights of Albuquerque in Nov. 2011.

Trial on the case began on May 6, 2019, and concluded early this afternoon when the jury returned a verdict of guilty on both counts of the indictment.  During the trial, numerous witnesses testified about final week of the life of Cameron Weiss, an 18-year-old who died of a heroin overdose on the morning of Aug. 13, 2011.  The jury learned that Mr. Weiss had been addicted to heroin for two years, after getting hooked on opiate painkillers to treat serious sports injuries sustained as a student athlete at La Cueva High School in Albuquerque. 

Mr. Weiss had spent time in rehab, but had relapsed and ended up in jail in Aug. 2011.  While in jail, Mr. Weiss learned that Moya was a source of heroin supply who could be contacted through go-betweens.  After he was released from jail on Aug. 7, 2011, Mr. Weiss contacted a go-between, who purchased heroin from Moya and delivered it to Mr. Weiss.  The following day, Mr. Weiss joined his family in California where they were vacationing; the family returned to Albuquerque on Aug. 11, 2011.  The next day, Aug. 12, 2011, Mr. Weiss met with another go-between, who purchased more heroin from Moya, including heroin which Mr. Weiss ingested over the course of the evening and into the night.  At the end of the night, a friend dropped Mr. Weiss off at home.  Mr. Weiss went into his bedroom and went to sleep; he never woke up.  A pathologist determined that Mr. Weiss died as the result of a heroin overdose.

            Moya remains in custody pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.  Because of his status as a career offender, with a criminal history that includes at least four prior felony convictions, Moya faces the following enhanced penalties based on today’s verdict:  a maximum thirty years of imprisonment on Count 1 of the indictment, distribution of heroin; and a mandatory term of life imprisonment on Count 2, the distribution of heroin on Aug. 12, 2011 that resulted in the death of Mr. Weiss.

This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the DEA and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean J. Sullivan, Paul Mysliwiec, and Nicholas Jon Ganjei.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case as part of the Department of Justice’s commitment in partnership with other law enforcement to combat the illegal manufacturing and distribution of methamphetamine, heroin and prescription opioids and to establish new programs to provide services to victims of the opioid crisis.