Anthony, N.M., Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking Conviction

ALBUQUERQUE – Fernando Garcia, 30, of Anthony, N.M., was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to 46 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for his methamphetamine trafficking conviction.

Garcia and his co-conspirator Eddie Velarde-Carmona, 34, of San Luis, Ariz., were arrested on May 8, 2014, after attempting to sell methamphetamine to undercover FBI agents.  According to the criminal complaint, Garcia and Velarde-Carmona had previously sold approximately 564 grams of methamphetamine to the undercover agent for $8,000.00 on April 17, 2014.  On the date of the arrest, FBI agents uncovered approximately 1019 grams of methamphetamine in Garcia’s vehicle.

The two men were subsequently indicted on Aug. 20, 2014. Garcia and Velarde-Carmona were charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, distribution of methamphetamine and possession of methamphetamine.  Velarde-Carmona also was individually charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.

Garcia pled guilty to a felony information on Oct. 28, 2014, and admitted that on April 17, 2014, he and Velarde-Carmona sold approximately 564 grams of methamphetamine to an undercover law enforcement agent, and on May 8, 2014, the two men agreed to sell a kilogram of methamphetamine to the undercover agent but was arrested prior to the transaction.  He further admitted that officers found approximately 1019 grams of methamphetamine mixture in his vehicle.

Velarde-Carmona pled guilty on Dec. 19, 2014, to the indictment.  He remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing which has yet to be scheduled.

This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the FBI and the HIDTA Regional Interagency Drug Task Force/Metro Narcotics Task Force, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Y. Armijo of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.

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