California man sentenced in NM to more than 8 years in federal prison for methamphetamine trafficking

LAS CRUCES, N.M. — A federal judge sentenced a California man Wednesday to more than eight years in federal prison for methamphetamine trafficking.

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Eddieberto Garcia, 36, of Oceanside, California, was sentenced to 97 months in prison, and to four years of supervised release following his prison term. Garcia was convicted of possessing about two kilograms (4.5 pounds) of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.

Garcia was arrested Aug. 22, 2013 in Las Cruces on a criminal complaint alleging possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute following a routine traffic stop. 

According to the complaint, Garcia was stopped for speeding on July 27, 2013 in Doña Ana County, New Mexico. After issuing Garcia a citation, the police officer requested and obtained Garcia’s consent to search the vehicle.  After a narcotics canine alerted to narcotics, the officer found three bundles containing methamphetamine that were wrapped in cellophane. The bundles were concealed within the vehicle’s door panels. Subsequently, Garcia was named in a two-count indictment charging him with conspiracy and possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute.

Garcia pleaded guilty to these charges Feb. 14, 2014.  In entering his guilty plea, Garcia admitted that he possessed 2.06 kilograms of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.  He further admitted that he was driving to meet another individual to whom he intended to deliver the methamphetamine.

This case was investigated by the HSI Border Enforcement Security Taskforce (BEST), and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Regional Interagency Drug Task Force (RIDTF)/Metro Narcotics Task Force. 

The HIDTA Regional Interagency Drug Task Force/Metro Narcotics Task Force comprises officers from the Las Cruces Police Department and the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office.  The 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) that 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.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander B. Shapiro of the District of New Mexico’s Las Cruces Branch Office.