New Mexico man indicted in Texas for drug, firearm, murder charges following ICE El Paso investigation

EL PASO, Texas — A New Mexico man is in federal custody after being indicted by a federal grand jury in El Paso in 2021 and expelled to the United States by Mexican authorities on May 27. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is investigating the case with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Texas Attorney General’s Office.

Jaime Renteria-Fernandez, 31, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, is charged in a superseding indictment with nine counts related to alleged offenses committed in support of the Barraza drug trafficking organization. Co-conspirator Alex Barraza was the leader of the DTO and was sentenced to life in federal prison Oct. 24, 2024.

“Jaime Renteria-Fernandez tried to evade justice by fleeing the country, but the law has a long reach,” said Jason T. Stevens, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations El Paso. “HSI is relentless in its mission to seek out members of drug trafficking organizations who wreak havoc on the security and well-being of our border community.”

Renteria-Fernandez made his initial appearance in federal court May 29. The indictment includes multiple counts related to drug possession and trafficking, conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, as well as discharging firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking and murder resulting from the use and carrying of firearms during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years, with a maximum of life in federal prison, and possibly the death penalty. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Johnston, Andres Ortega and Susanna Martinez are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.