
Counts 2 and 3 each charge a defendant with distributing methamphetamine. This has been a very successful operation that will have a significant impact on our community." Defendants Charged in Federal CaseĬount 1 of the 15-count indictment charges the 13 federal defendants with methamphetamine-trafficking conspiracy. "I am very proud to have worked alongside the HSI and Region II agents who worked this case for the past year.

Neil Haws, director of the HIDTA Region II Narcotics Task Force. Attorney's Office have shown a continuing commitment to our community," said Lt. "I want to thank all of the participating agencies who assisted in the operation. This partnership from state, local and federal agencies is an example of what can be accomplished when we work together to make our communities safer." San Juan County Sheriff Ken Christesen said, "I am proud of the efforts of the Region II and HSI agents who put this case together.
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While executing the search warrants, agents seized the following items: a fully automatic Glock 19 handgun, a short-barreled carbine rifle with an obliterated serial number, four blasting caps, four small binary explosives, and 31.7 grams of methamphetamine. The operation also included executing state search warrants at three residences – two in San Juan County and another in Farmington. Federal warrants were also served in area businesses – two in Bloomfield and two in Farmington another was served in a storage unit in Bloomfield. 26 execution of 11 federal search warrants – two in Bloomfield, four in Farmington and two in San Juan County residences. Operation "Brown Ice" resulted in the Feb. The other 16 defendants face state drug-trafficking and firearms charges based on criminal complaints.ĭuring the course of the investigation, officers seized about five pounds of methamphetamine and five firearms. Thirteen of the defendants, including Isaac Anaya, 30, of Farmington, charged as a result of the investigation, face federal charges in a 15-count federal indictment alleging a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in San Juan County from May 2013 through September 2013.

26), HSI and our state and local partners made a significant impact on drug traffickers operating in rural communities in San Juan County."

Yarbrough said, "This investigation illustrates once again the success enjoyed by our partnership of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies in taking down drug trafficking organizations, whether they operate in large metropolitan areas or small, rural communities. "HSI special agents are committed to preventing drugs from crossing our border and poisoning our neighborhoods." Ulrich oversees HSI operations in the 17 westernmost counties of Texas and the state of New Mexico.Īfter the operation, Acting U.S. Ulrich, special agent in charge of HSI El Paso. "HSI continues to work vigilantly with our law enforcement partners to disrupt and dismantle drug trafficking networks that smuggle and traffic vile drugs, such as methamphetamine," said Dennis A. This investigation was designated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program, a nationwide Department of Justice program that combines the resources and expertise of federal agencies, along with their local counterparts, in a coordinated effort to disrupt and dismantle major drug trafficking organizations.

The criminal network subsequently expanded to include other drug trafficking activity in the area. The charges against the 29 defendants resulted from Operation "Brown Ice" that initially targeted a methamphetamine-trafficking organization allegedly led by Isaac Anaya, who distributed methamphetamine throughout San Juan County. Two federal defendants are considered fugitives: Fay Gordon, 29, of Farmington, charged in counts 1 and 11, and Casey LaMotte, 28, of Flora Vista, N.M., charged in counts 1 and 12. Two other defendants were arrested during the course of the investigation. 26, agents arrested 25 of the 29 defendants during an early-morning law enforcement operation led by HSI and the HIDTA Region II Narcotics Task Force. Twenty-nine individuals residing in San Juan County and a woman from Meza, Ariz., face drug-trafficking charges resulting from the multi-agency investigation. This yearlong case was investigated by the following agencies: U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the San Juan (N.M.) County Sheriff's Department, the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Region II Narcotics Task Force and the New Mexico police departments of Farmington, Bloomfield and Aztec. Twenty-seven individuals remain in federal custody after their arrest during Operation "Brown Ice," which targeted drug trafficking in northwestern New Mexico Feb.
