News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: March 30, 2010
Carmen Coutino
Public Information Officer
(915) 832-6018

Thirty-Three Count Federal Indictments
Prompts Arrests of Local Street Gang Members

MAR 30 - Today, as a result of a two year long Drug Enforcement Administration investigation, a 33-Count Superseding Indictment was unsealed charging 20 alleged members and associates of an Albuquerque Street Gang and Drug Trafficking Organization known as the Brew Town Locos (“BTL”) with numerous federal drug trafficking and other offenses. The investigation was led by members of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), and was code-named Itsy Bitsy Spider. OCDETF is a nationwide program that combines the resources and unique expertise of federal agencies, along with their local counterparts, in a coordinated attack against major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations.

This morning, approximately 250 members of law enforcement, from numerous federal, state and local agencies, participated in executing the court ordered arrests of the defendants named in the Superseding Indictment, as well as the execution of 16 early morning court ordered search warrants at various locations in and about the Albuquerque region.

The 33-Count Superseding Indictment charges each of the named defendants with 1) Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances, 2) numerous counts charging Distribution and Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances, 3) Carrying a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime, and 4) Use of a Telephone to Facilitate a Drug Trafficking Offense. The controlled substances alleged to have been involved in this case include cocaine, cocaine base (“crack”), and marijuana. The Superseding Indictment further alleges that those charged with Conspiracy have engaged in drug trafficking activities since in or about March 2008. Further, the Superseding Indictment also seeks a money judgment of $2,000,000, and forfeiture of certain assets including real property.

NAME
ADDRESS
YEAR OF BIRTH
 
MARGARITO ANDRADE, SR.
Albuquerque, NM
1952
MARGARITO ANDRADE, JR., a/k/a Bird, a/k/a Pee Wee, a/k/a Pee Wee Loco, a/k/a Maguin
Albuquerque, NM
1983
FRANCISCO SOLIS, a/k/a Kiko
Albuquerque, NM
1986
LUIS VALLES, a/k/a Chaparro, a/k/a Chapo
Albuquerque, NM
1984
SERGIO HERNANDEZ, a/k/a Washington
Albuquerque, NM
1988
ROYCE GARCIA
Albuquerque, NM
1980
JUAN PEDROZA
Albuquerque, NM
1977
MARIO MARTINEZ
Albuquerque, NM
1980
GUADALUPE ANDRADE
Albuquerque, NM
1975
VINCENT CANDELARIA
Albuquerque, NM
1984
TARA TRUJILLO
Albuquerque, NM
1985
GUILLERMO ANDRADE, a/k/a Gizmo
Albuquerque, NM
1980
FERNANDO RAMIREZ, a/k/a Fernie
Albuquerque, NM
1982 or 1983
CHRISTINE HERRERA
Albuquerque, NM
1936
ARNOLD HERNANDEZ
Albuquerque, NM
1955
LUIS CARLOS RUIZ TORRES, a/k/a Charlie
Albuquerque, NM
1978
AURORA SANCHEZ
Albuquerque, NM
1959
JOSE ANDRADE, a/k/a Weasel
Albuquerque, NM
1977
RICARDO GALBISO, a/k/a Baldo
Albuquerque, NM
1985
CESAR ANDRADE
Rio Rancho, NM
1978

If convicted, each of the defendants faces at least a mandatory minimum ten years imprisonment up to a lifetime imprisonment, up to a $4,000,000 fine, and five years of supervised release.

As stated, this case was investigated primarily by the Drug Enforcement Administration, but also with substantial assistance from the Internal Revenue Service, the Albuquerque Police Department, the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department, New Mexico State Police, Rio Rancho Police, the New Mexico Department of Public Safety, and other federal, state and local agencies.

United States Attorney Gregory J. Fouratt said:

This indictment is designed to defuse the explosive combination of drugs, guns, and gangsters. For more than two years, as alleged in the indictment, the Brew Town Locos sold millions of dollars of cocaine and marijuana on the streets and in the neighborhoods of Albuquerque. The indictment is the culmination of a methodical and textbook investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration working hand in glove with its state and local law enforcement partners under the OCDETF program.

DEA Special Agent in Charge Joseph M. Arabit said:

These arrests send a clear message to gangs involved in drug trafficking activities, that they will not operate freely on the streets of Albuquerque. This type of criminal activity will consistently receive the attention of the Drug Enforcement Administration and our State, Local and Federal partners.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Reeve Swainston.

An indictment is only an accusation. All criminal defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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.

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