United States Drug Enforcement Administration

ALBUQUERQUE – An Albuquerque man was sentenced to 248 months in prison for drug trafficking and firearms offenses after being found in possession of over 500 grams of methamphetamine and two firearms in a stolen vehicle. There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on February 22, 2022, Octavio Jimenez-Marquez, 38, was driving a stolen black Dodge Ram pickup truck when he was approached by Albuquerque Police Department officers in the parking lot of an apartment complex. When Jimenez attempted to evade detection by moving from the driver's seat to the truck bed, he was detained.

A search of the vehicle revealed:

• Two large bundles of methamphetamine, weighing a total of 529 net grams
• An unloaded revolver stored with the larger methamphetamine bundle
• A loaded assault rifle in the front passenger seat

During a subsequent interview, Jimenez admitted to using methamphetamine on the day of his arrest and to handling the firearms found in the vehicle. Photographic evidence from Jimenez’s cell phone further implicated him in the possession of the firearms.

On April 17, 2024, following a three-day trial, a jury returned a verdict convicting Jimenez of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; possession of a firearm by an illegal alien; possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; and escape.

Upon his release from prison, Jimenez will be subject to five years of supervised release.

Towanda R. Thorne-James, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's El Paso Division and U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez made the announcement today.

The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated this case with assistance from the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department, Albuquerque Police Department, Second Judicial District Attorney’s Office, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Louis Mattei and Elaine Y. Ramirez prosecuted the case.

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