ALBUQUERQUE – Kenneth Matthew Adame, 24, of Las Cruces, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court to a methamphetamine trafficking charge under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Adame and co-defendants Ricky Joe Garcia, 52, and Christopher Michael Sanchez, 24, both of Las Cruces, were arrested in April 2017, and were charged by criminal complaint with participating in a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy on April 10, 2017, in Dona Ana County, N.M. According to the complaint, on that day, Adame, Garcia and Sanchez sold approximately 497.22 grams of methamphetamine to undercover law enforcement agents.
During today’s proceedings, Adame pled guilty to a felony information charging him with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and admitted that on April 10, 2017, he conspired with his co-defendants to distribute 497 grams of methamphetamine.
At sentencing, Adame faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years and a maximum of 40 years in federal prison. Adame remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.
Garcia and Sanchez remain in custody on the charges in the criminal complaint. Charges in criminal complaints are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations’ Border Drug Task Force and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brock E. Taylor of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.
Information from Department of Justice