Hobbs-based Drug Trafficking Network Supplied by Mexican Illegal Alien Dismantled

ALBUQUERQUE - A previously deported Mexican national, together with his Hobbs-based distributor and her associates, has been charged in federal court with running a methamphetamine and fentanyl trafficking network that brought large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl and armed drug dealers into the Hobbs community.

According to court documents, Arturo Chihuahua-Martinez, 61, a Mexican national previously deported from the United States, is alleged to have served as a source of supply bringing multi-pound quantities of methamphetamine from California into Lea County, New Mexico, for redistribution in and around Hobbs. On or about February 17, 2025, Chihuahua-Martinez was allegedly returning from Los Angeles when a Lea County Sheriff's deputy stopped the truck on New Mexico Highway 380, near Tatum, and, following a positive canine alert, discovered a cooler and backpack containing 20 vacuum-sealed packages with nearly 20 pounds of pure methamphetamine.

In a separate indictment, Natasha Ruiz, 33, is alleged to be a Hobbs-based distributor who obtained methamphetamine and fentanyl from Chihuahua-Martinez and coordinated retail-level distribution through a network of local associates. On or about March 17, 2025, Ruiz allegedly met Chihuahua-Martinez at a Hobbs hotel, where she picked up 421 grams of pure methamphetamine and 34.3 grams of fentanyl, which officers later recovered from a black backpack during a traffic stop.

The indictment further alleges that Ruiz used trusted associates to expand the organization's reach by managing street-level sales and insulating herself from direct contact with customers. On or about September 3, 2025, Ruiz allegedly agreed to sell fentanyl to an undercover agent and directed Erik L. Almaguer, 32, to complete the transaction. Almaguer then allegedly delivered 5.2 grams of fentanyl to the undercover agent for $500.

Ruiz also allegedly used Lorenzo Luna-Espinoza, 30, Eli G. Rodriguez, 54, and Taylor Lydick, 31, to move methamphetamine into neighboring communities. On or about October 8, 2025, Ruiz allegedly supplied methamphetamine to Eli Rodriguez at a cabin in Seminole, Texas. When Eli Rodriguez left the cabin, officers stopped his vehicle and seized 44.56 grams of pure methamphetamine.

On the following day, October 9, 2025, Ruiz allegedly coordinated with Lydick to pick up methamphetamine from her the same cabin, and Lydick was later stopped while transporting 153.2 grams of pure methamphetamine.

Luna-Espinoza, a Mexican national who had previously been removed from the United States, is alleged to have acted as both a methamphetamine and fentanyl supplier and a broker of firearms for the organization. On or about November 13, 2025, Luna-Espinoza allegedly stored an AR-15 rifle at another person's residence, possessed 8.29 grams of pure methamphetamine and 22.89 grams of fentanyl in a vehicle, and discussed selling firearms, narcotics, and a ballistic vest. During one of the calls, Luna-Espinoza stated that he was not working and that he was instead concentrating on his narcotics trafficking.

The indictment charges Ruiz with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, distribution of fentanyl, and use of a communication facility to further a drug trafficking crime. If convicted, she faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison. Almaguer is charged with conspiracy and distribution of fentanyl and faces up to 20 years in prison. Eli Rodriguez is charged with conspiracy, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and use of a communication facility, and faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison. Lydick is charged with conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison.

Luna-Espinoza is charged with conspiracy, distribution of methamphetamine and fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute, multiple communication-facility counts, illegal reentry after removal, and being an alien in possession of a firearm and ammunition. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison.

In separate but related cases, two associates of Ruiz, Jamus Clydrell White, 38, and Gabriel Tercero, 48, are alleged to have possessed firearms and ammunition despite prior felony convictions. White is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition based on alleged conduct on or about July 10, 2024, while Tercero is charged with being a felon in possession of two handguns and ammunition on or about March 17, 2025. If convicted of the current charges, both men face up to 15 years in prison.

In another related case, Pedro Rene Palacios allegedly arranged to sell methamphetamine to a customer through Luna-Espinoza at a residence in Hobbs. On March 4, 2026, agents executed a search warrant at that residence and recovered approximately 3.5 grams of methamphetamine from Palacios's bedroom and a firearm from his person. Palacios is charged with distribution of methamphetamine. If convicted of the current charges, Palacios faces no less than 10 years and up to life in prison.

Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison made the announcement today on behalf of the Homeland Security Task Force.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kirk Williams and Renee Camacho are prosecuting these cases.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Region II CORE 7 is comprised of agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Customs and Border Protection - Office of Field Operations (OFO), U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) and Air and Marine (AMO), Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), United States Department of the Interior - Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Joint Task Force North (JTF-N), United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), United States Marshal Service (USMS), Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DSS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Texas Department of Public Safety (TXDPS), El Paso Police Department (EPPD), New Mexico State Police (NMSP), West Texas / New Mexico High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA), Albuquerque Police Department, New Mexico Sixth Judicial District, Las Cruces/Dona Ana County Metro Narcotics Agency, and the prosecution is being led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Districts of Western Texas and New Mexico.

An indictment or criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.