El Paso Man Pleads Guilty To Federal Methamphetamine Trafficking Charge
LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Carlos Jesus Carrasco, 24, of El Paso, Texas, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to a methamphetamine trafficking charge under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Carlos Carrasco and his co-defendant and cousin, Bernabe Carrasco, 34, also of El Paso, were arrested on Dec. 20, 2013, and charged by criminal complaint with conspiracy and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. The two men subsequently were indicted on the same two charges. According to the indictment, Carlos Carrasco and Bernabe Carrasco conspired to distribute methamphetamine on Dec. 19, 2013, and possessed methamphetamine with intent to distribute on Dec. 20, 2013. The indictment alleges that the two men committed these offenses in Otero County, N.M.
During today’s proceedings, Carlos Carrasco pled guilty to the indictment. In his plea agreement, Carlos Carrasco admitted possessing 2.07 kilograms of methamphetamine on Dec. 20, 2013, which he intended to distribute. Carlos Carrasco further admitted boarding a bus in El Paso with two packages containing methamphetamine strapped to his body which he intended to deliver to Amarillo, Texas, in exchange for $1200.
According to court filings, Carlos Carrasco and Bernabe Carrasco, who also allegedly had a package of methamphetamine strapped to his body, were apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol agents at the Border Patrol traffic checkpoint on U.S. Highway 54 near Alamogordo, N.M., during a routine immigration check of passengers.
Carlos Carrasco has been in federal custody since his arrest and remains detained pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled. At sentencing, Carrasco faces a sentence of not less than ten years and not more than life in prison.
Bernabe Carrasco has entered a not guilty plea to the indictment and remains in federal custody pending trial. If convicted, he also faces a sentence of not less than ten years and not more than life in prison.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the DEA and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, with assistance from the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Gould of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.
The DEA El Paso Division encourages parents, and their children to visit the following interactive websites at www.justthinktwice.com, www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com and www.dea.gov.
