Mexican man pleads guilty to drug trafficking heroin, fentanyl
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A man arrested after Border Patrol agents found heroin and fentanyl hidden in his vehicle pleaded guilty to the trafficking charges.
Roberto Esmerardo Lopez-Gaxiola, 35, of Mexico, pleaded guilty in a federal courtroom in Las Cruces on Thursday.
Lopez-Gaziola was arrested on March 14 when he drove to the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint north of Las Cruces, near Truth or Consequences, federal officials said.
During a search, agents found 9.25 pounds of heroin and 1.46 pounds of fentanyl hidden in the vehicle Lopez-Gaziola was driving.
During the plea hearing, Lopez-Gaziola admitted that he was going to get paid for delivering the drugs to people in Albuquerque.
Lopez-Gaziola faces a statutory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison.
