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Press Release

Roswell Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Methamphetamine Trafficking Charge

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Mexico

ALBUQUERQUE – Jaime Juan Alvarado, 36, of Roswell, N.M., pleaded guilty this afternoon in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to a methamphetamine trafficking charge.

Alvarado was arrested on Jan. 20, 2015, in Roswell after agents and officers from the DEA, Chaves County Metro Narcotics Task Force and the Lea County Drug Task Force executed a federal search warrant at his residence.  According to the criminal complaint, the law enforcement officers seized approximately 35.7 grams of methamphetamine, heroin, several safes and a digital scale when they executed the search.

 During today’s proceedings, Alvarado pled guilty to a felony information charging him with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.  In entering the guilty plea, Alvarado admitted that on Jan. 20, 2015, in Chaves County, N.M., agents executed a federal search warrant on his residence and found methamphetamine in his kitchen which he planned to distribute to others.

Alvarado remains in federal custody pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.  At sentencing, Alvarado faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison followed by a minimum of three years of supervised release.

This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the DEA, the Chaves County Metro Narcotics Task Force and the Lea County Drug Task Force.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Terri J. Abernathy of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office is prosecuting this case.

The Chaves County Metro Narcotics Task Force and the Lea County Drug Task Force are part of the NM 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.

Updated March 25, 2015