Doña Ana County inmate sentenced to six years in federal prison for attempt to possess contraband

            ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Aaron Reed, 30, of Grants, New Mexico, was sentenced Oct. 22 to six years and four months in federal prison after pleading guilty to attempting to possess contraband in prison.

            Reed was one of seven defendants charged in a conspiracy to distribute illegal drugs, including methamphetamine and buprenorphine, inside of the Doña Ana County Detention Center in January 2019.  Reed pleaded guilty on April 2. In the plea agreement, Reed admitted to attempting to obtain methamphetamine and buprenorphine from another inmate in January 2019. According to an indictment, Reed told an associate he knew a corrections officer willing to bring contraband into the detention center and directed her to pay the corrections officer between $200 and $250.

            Upon his release from prison, Reed will serve three years of supervised release.

            Co-defendant Jose Ignacio Caro pleaded guilty on May 21 to conspiracy to provide contraband in prison and on Sept. 29 was sentenced to seven years in prison. Co-defendant Joe Anthony Garcia pleaded guilty on March 11 to attempt to provide contraband in prison and is awaiting sentencing. Co-defendants Ashley Silva, Angel Destiny Ortega and Marie Cadney pleaded guilty in March and Dominic Garcia on April 1 to Conspiracy to provide contraband in prison and are awaiting sentencing.

            The FBI investigated this case in conjunction with the Southern New Mexico Public Corruption Task Force, the Office of Security Threat Intelligence, the Doña Ana County Detention Center, Las Cruces-Doña Ana County Metro Narcotics Agency and the Las Cruces Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marisa A. Ong and Matthew R. Ramirez prosecuted the case.