Santa Fe Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking and Firearms Charges

ALBUQUERQUE – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, announced today that Mario Guizar-Anchondo pled guilty in federal court to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Guizar-Anchondo 21, of Santa Fe, will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled.

A federal grand jury indicted Guizar-Anchondo and his co-defendant, Werni Lopez-Perez, 27, of Santa Fe, on Jan. 11, 2022. According to publicly available court documents, at around 2:30 a.m. on Dec. 30, 2021, an officer from the Santa Fe Police Department conducted a routine traffic patrol on a vehicle driven by Guizar-Anchondo for driving without illuminated taillights. At the time, Lopez-Perez was in the passenger seat. Based on observations made during and after the traffic stop, the officer sealed the truck and the FBI sought and obtained a federal search warrant for the truck.

The truck was searched later that day at the FBI office in Albuquerque. Inside, agents found approximately 32,000 fentanyl pills, 1.7 kilograms of methamphetamine, five firearms, and $5,563 in cash.  The investigation also uncovered evidence that both Guizar-Anchondo and Lopez-Perez were using Facebook to advertise and sell fentanyl and methamphetamine.

In his plea agreement, Guizar-Anchondo admitted that he intended to distribute the fentanyl pills to others, and that he possessed the firearms in the truck to protect himself, his drug supplies, and his drug proceeds.

At sentencing, Guizar-Anchondo is facing not less than 5 years and not more than life in prison.

Lopez-Perez remains in custody pending trial which is currently scheduled for April 1, 2024.

The Santa Fe Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Santa Fe Police Department. The United States Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case.

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