Roswell Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Methamphetamine Trafficking Charges

LAS CRUCES—On July 6, 2011 in federal court in Las Cruces, Luis Omar Vielmas-Valdiviezo, 30, of Roswell, New Mexico, pled guilty to participation in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute under a plea agreement with the United States Attorney’s Office. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Vielmas-Valdiviezo will be sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment to be followed by at least five years of supervised release. Vielmas-Valdiviezo has been in custody since his arrest on January 27, 2011, and remains detained pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.

United States Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales said that Vielmas-Valdiviezo was arrested after officers of the New Mexico State Police and Lea County Drug Task Force found methamphetamine concealed in his car after stopping him for a traffic violation in Lovington, New Mexico. Court records reflect that Vielmas-Valdiviezo consented to a search of his car during the traffic stop and that the officers found two packages containing 485.11 grams of pure methamphetamine in the car’s air filter during their search of the car. Later that day, officers of the Chaves County Metro Narcotics Task Force and agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a state search warrant at Vielmas-Valdiviezo’s residence in Roswell and found another 456.85 grams of pure methamphetamine and $5,500 in cash.

During yesterday’s plea hearing, Vielmas-Valdiviezo admitted possession of the methamphetamine seized from his car and residence on January 23, 2011. Vielmas-Valdiviezo also admitted that selling methamphetamine to co-defendant Romulo Urias Bueno, 40, of Hobbs, New Mexico.

Urias Bueno pled guilty to conspiracy on June 6, 2011; he remains in custody pending his sentencing hearing, which has not yet been set. Another co-defendant, Blanca Dorado, 39, also of Hobbs, New Mexico, also pled guilty to conspiracy on June 6, 2011. Dorado remains on release under pretrial supervision pending her sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New Mexico State Police, the Lea County Drug Task Force, the Chaves County Metro Narcotics Task Force and the Eunice Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Cárdenas Jarvis.