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Press Release

Santa Fe Man Sentenced to Ten Years for Conviction on Federal Heroin Trafficking and Firearms Charges

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Mexico
Lovato Prosecuted Under Federal “Worst of the Worst” Anti-Violence Initiative and HOPE Initiative which Seeks to Reduce Opioid-Related Deaths in New Mexico

ALBUQUERQUE – Phillip Lovato, 30, of Santa Fe, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to ten years in federal prison followed by four years of supervised release for his conviction on heroin trafficking and firearms charges.  Lovato also was ordered to forfeit to the United States $49,242 in drug proceeds and two firearms that were seized during the investigation leading to his conviction.

Lovato’s sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez, Special Agent in Charge Terry Wade of the FBI’s Albuquerque Division, and New Mexico State Police Lt. Scott McFaul, the Commander of the HIDTA Region III Drug Task Force.

Lovato was arrested by the FBI on Feb. 10, 2015, on a criminal complaint charging him with heroin trafficking and firearms charges.  On Feb. 25, 2015, a federal grand jury returned a seven-count indictment against Lovato charging him with two counts of distributing heroin, two counts of possession of heroin with intent to distribute, two counts of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, and one count of using and carrying a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crimes.  According to the indictment, Lovato committed these crimes in Santa Fe County.

Lovato entered guilty pleas on Feb. 16, 2016, to two counts of possession of heroin with intent to distribute, one count of using a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.  In his plea agreement, Lovato admitted selling heroin from a residence on Alta Vista Street in Santa Fe on Nov. 17, 2014.  On that day, Lovato was carrying a black backpack containing heroin and a semi-automatic pistol that he used to protect the drugs he was carrying and the proceeds from his drug sales.  After completing several drug transactions at the Alta Vista Street residence, Lovato got into a pickup truck to go to another location where he intended to continue selling heroin.  When the truck was stopped by law enforcement officers, Lovato admitted that he had heroin in the truck, and the officers seized 40 grams of heroin and the semi-automatic pistol from Lovato’s backpack.

In his plea agreement, Lovato also acknowledged that he subsequently acquired another firearm and additional heroin and resumed selling heroin in and around Santa Fe, storing his heroin and cash proceeds in a storage facility in Santa Fe.  On Feb. 6, 2015, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant on the storage facility where they seized 665 grams of heroin and $49,242 in proceeds from Lovato’s heroin deals. 

Lovato was arrested on Feb. 10, 2015, outside a residence in Santa Fe.  Before his arrest, Lovato left a semi-automatic handgun inside the residence.  Following Lovato’s arrest, law enforcement officers seized the handgun when they executed a consensual search of the residence.  Lovato acknowledged knowing that he was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because of his status as a convicted felon.

This case was investigated by the Santa Fe office of the FBI and the HIDTA Region III Drug Task Force, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy S. Vasquez.

The HIDTA – High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area – Program is a program of the White House Office National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) that facilitates cooperation among federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement to foster intelligence sharing and to support the execution of effective enforcement operations aimed at dismantling drug trafficking organization in critical drug trafficking regions of the United States.  The HIDTA Region III Narcotics Task Force is comprised of the New Mexico State Police, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office and the Santa Fe Police Department.

Lovato, who has two prior drug trafficking convictions and an aggravated assault conviction, was prosecuted as part of a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst” offenders for federal prosecution.  Under this initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies work with New Mexico’s District Attorneys and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders primarily based on their prior convictions for federal prosecution with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible.  Because New Mexico’s violent crime rates, on a per capita basis, are amongst the highest in the nation, New Mexico’s law enforcement community is collaborating to target repeat offenders from counties with the highest violent crime rates, including Santa Fe County, under this initiative.

The case also was prosecuted as part of the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative.  The HOPE Initiative was launched in January 2015 by the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in response to the national opioid epidemic which has had a disproportionately devastating impact on New Mexico.  Opioid addiction has taken a toll on public safety, public health and the economic viability of our communities.  Working in partnership with Bernalillo County, DEA, Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC) and other community stakeholders, HOPE’s principal goals are to protect our communities from the dangers associated with heroin and opioid painkillers and reducing the number of opioid-related deaths in New Mexico. 

The HOPE Initiative is comprised of five components:  (1) prevention and education; (2) treatment; (3) law enforcement; (4) reentry; and (5) strategic planning.  HOPE’s law enforcement component is led by the Organized Crime Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DEA in conjunction with their federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners.  Targeting members of major heroin and opioid trafficking organizations for investigation and prosecution is a priority of the HOPE Initiative.  Learn more about the New Mexico HOPE Initiative at http://www.HopeInitiativeNM.org.

Updated April 21, 2016

Topic
Drug Trafficking