Espanola Woman Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug Trafficking Charges

Defendant Prosecuted as Part of HOPE Initiative Which Seeks to Reduce the Number of Opioid-Related Deaths in New Mexico

ALBUQUERQUE – Goldyne Duran, 27, of Espanola, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to heroin and methamphetamine trafficking charges under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The FBI and HIDTA Region III Narcotics Task Force arrested Duran in Aug. 2017, on a criminal complaint alleging that she possessed heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine with intent to distribute on July 11, 2017, in Rio Arriba County, N.M.  According to the complaint, law enforcement agents seized approximately 41.9 ounces (1,187.85 grams) of heroin, 13.3 ounces (377.05 grams) of cocaine, 17.6 ounces (498.95 grams) of methamphetamine, large amounts of currency, a firearm, and drug paraphernalia while executing a state search warrant on Duran’s residence.

During today’s proceedings, Duran pled guilty to a felony information charging her with possession of methamphetamine and heroin with intent to distribute.  In entering the guilty plea, Duran admitted that on July 11, 2017, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at her residence where they seized four large bundles of cash, heroin weighing more than a kilogram, and more than 50 grams of methamphetamine.  Duran admitted possessing the heroin and methamphetamine with the intention of distributing the drugs to others.

After entering her guilty plea, Duran was remanded into the custody of the U.S. Marshal Service and will be detained pending her sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.  At sentencing, Duran faces a statutory mandatory minimum penalty of ten years and a maximum of life in federal prison.

This case was investigated by the Santa Fe office of the FBI and the HIDTA Region III Narcotics Task Force.  The HIDTA – High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area – Program is a program of the White House Office National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) that facilitates cooperation among federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement to foster intelligence sharing and to support the execution of effective enforcement operations aimed at dismantling drug trafficking organization in critical drug trafficking regions of the United States.  The HIDTA Region III Narcotics Task Force is comprised of the New Mexico State Police, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office and the Santa Fe Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Elaine Y. Ramirez is prosecuting 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.