Career Offender from Clovis Sentenced to 77 Months for Selling 20 Grams of Heroin to Undercover Agents

ALBUQUERQUE – Shannon Lamont Jackson, 38, of Clovis, N.M., was sentenced yesterday to 77 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for his heroin trafficking conviction.

Jackson, a career offender whose criminal history includes felony convictions for drug trafficking and violent crimes, was prosecuted under 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 felony convictions for federal prosecution with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible

Jackson was arrested on Dec. 3, 2015, on an indictment charging him with distributing heroin on Sept. 6, 2015, in Bernalillo County, N.M. On Oct. 19, 2016, Jackson pled guilty to the indictment and admitted that in Sept. 2015, he negotiated the sale of approximately 20 grams of heroin with undercover FBI agents.

This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the FBI and the Bernalillo County Sheriff’ Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shana B. Long prosecuted the case 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 the DEA, the Bernalillo County Opioid Accountability Initiative, Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC), the Albuquerque Public Schools 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.