Suspected Drug Dealer Arrested By U.S. Marshals and Laguna Police

Albuquerque, NM – Just before last call at 1:45am, alleged drug dealer, Omar Cota, was arrested off the dance floor at Route 66 Casino inside Club Envy. Cota is known by law enforcement officers to be affiliated with the Sinaloa Cartel and to be a Brew Town gang member. Cota was taken into custody by United States Marshals and Laguna Police. Omar Cota had an outstanding Federal arrest warrant for Drug Trafficking and had eluded capture from Federal law enforcement officers since February 2012. Omar Cota was added to the United States Marshals Service, District of New Mexico’s Most Wanted on February 11, 2013. Tips about Cota’s whereabouts have been coming into the Marshals Service over the last two and a half months. From the tips, information was developed that Omar Cota liked to go to the casinos and could be found there at night time. Early this morning, Marshals received information that Cota was at the Route 66 Casino. When Cota was arrested by Marshals and Laguna Police Officers he was found to have a large amount of cash and suspected narcotics on his person.

The yearlong fugitive investigation spread from Albuquerque to Farmington back to Albuquerque. Allegedly Cota would slip in and out of the Albuquerque metro area depending upon the pressure law enforcement officers placed on his support network. Throughout the investigation, the United States Marshals Service was assisted by: the Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, Albuquerque Police Department, Farmington Police Department and the Navajo Narcotics Unit.

District of New Mexico, United States Marshal, Conrad Candelaria, said “the effectiveness of the Marshals Service on pursuing dangerous and violent fugitives spans 223 years. In the District of New Mexico this has been the case since 1850 when the Marshals Service began to enforce a rule of law in the Territory of New Mexico and since this time working alongside local, county, tribal and state law enforcement with a common goal of protecting communities and citizens; this dangerous fugitive will no longer harm our families, friends and children”.