Source: Office of United States Attorneys
ALBUQUERQUE – A Colorado man was sentenced to 228 months in prison for drug trafficking after being caught during a traffic stop on Interstate 25 within the Kewa Pueblo reservation.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, on June 14, 2023, a BIA K9 Officer observed Juan Hugo Lugo, 29, speeding and following too closely to other vehicles on Interstate 25 near mile marker 250.
During the subsequent traffic stop, the officer observed two large black and yellow storage bins partially covered with T-shirts in the rear cargo area, and another bin on the rear passenger seat containing multiple large plastic-wrapped bundles suspected to be methamphetamine. The officer also observed a white powdery substance inside Lugo‘s nostrils.
When questioned in the police vehicle, Lugo admitted to possessing personal use cocaine and having just taken a “bump.”
A probable cause search of the vehicle revealed multiple plastic-wrapped bundles containing a crystal-like substance suspected to be methamphetamine and five brick-shaped packages suspected to contain cocaine. Additionally, a loaded 9mm Glock 19 firearm was found in the passenger compartment.
The total seizure was 96.1kilograms of methamphetamine and 4.9 kilograms of cocaine.
Upon his release from prison, Lugo will be subject to five years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez made the announcement today.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs investigated this case with the assistance of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant United States Attorney Raquel Ruiz Velez is prosecuting the case.
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