ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A Mexican national has pleaded guilty in Las Cruces federal court trafficking drugs in Eddy County.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for New Mexico says 33-year-old Israel Mireles-Rivera, who had been living in Hagerman illegally, entered his plea Friday afternoon.
Mireles-Rivera was arrested in January 2014 on three counts including conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and being a person in the U.S. illegally who owned a firearm.
Prosecutors say Mireles-Rivera provided methamphetamine between February 2013 and October 2013 to 61-year-old Ediberto Guzman, who sold the drugs to others.
Mireles-Rivera is also accused of hiding more than 180 grams of meth in a vehicle.
He faces up to 40 years in prison and will be deported back to Mexico after serving his sentence.