Albuquerque Smoke Shop Owner Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison for Drug Offense
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, announced today that Gabriel Monico Guevara was sentenced to 3 years in prison, a $10,000 fine, and $1,000 in community restitution. Guevara, 41, of Albuquerque, pleaded guilty on May 25, 2023, to possession with intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing marijuana.
According to court records, detectives from the Albuquerque Police Department executed a search warrant on Guevara’s residence and smoke shop in relation to a narcotics investigation. During the search of Guevara’s residence, investigators found seven firearms, 35.67 pounds of marijuana, 57 oxycodone pills, 3 grams of cocaine and $58,293 in US currency. During the search of the smoke shop, investigators found three additional firearms and 20.47 pounds of marijuana. Of the 10 firearms recovered, 5 of them were stolen and several had high-capacity magazines, including magazines that hold 50 rounds of ammunition. The amount of narcotics and large sum of US currency is consistent with drug trafficking and not with personal use.
In the plea agreement, Guevara admitted that he intended to distribute the 55 pounds of marijuana and that five of the firearms recovered had been reported stolen.
Upon his release from prison, Guevara will be subject to 3 years of supervised release.
The FBI’s Albuquerque Violent Crime and Gangs Task Force (VCGTF) investigated this case with assistance from the Albuquerque District Office of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s El Paso Division and Albuquerque Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Nora Wilson is prosecuting the case.
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