Albuquerque Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Narcotics Trafficking Charge

ALBUQUERQUE—This morning in federal court in Albuquerque, Anthony Jerome Bacon, a 50-year-old Albuquerque resident, pleaded guilty to a one-count indictment charging him with possession of 28 grams or more of crack cocaine with intent to distribute. The plea was entered under a plea agreement with the United States Attorney’s Office requiring that Bacon be sentenced to a 120-month term of imprisonment to be followed by a minimum four-year term of supervised release. Bacon has been in federal custody since his arrest on December 23, 2010, and remains detained pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.

United States Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales said that Bacon was charged by indictment on December 15, 2010 as the result of an undercover investigation by the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The indictment alleges that, on September 30, 2010 in Bernalillo County, Bacon possessed 28 grams or more of crack cocaine with intent to distribute. In his plea agreement, Bacon admitted that, on September 30, 2010 in Albuquerque, he negotiated the sale of crack cocaine with an individual who, unbeknownst to him, was working as a confidential informant for the APD. Thereafter, APD officers stopped Bacon’s vehicle in the 12000 block of Central Avenue SW and had a drug detecting canine approach the vehicle. After the canine alerted to the vehicle, indicating that he detected the presence of illegal narcotics, the officers obtained a search warrant for Bacon’s vehicle and recovered 24 packages, each of which contained approximately seven grams of crack cocaine. In entering his plea, Bacon admitted he was in possession of the crack cocaine found in his vehicle and that he intended to distribute the crack cocaine.

The case was investigated by APD and FBI, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kimberly A. Brawley.