By: ABQRAW staff
Posted: 01/24/2024 @ 7:00 PM
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Alexander M.M. Uballez, the United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Towanda R. Thorne-James, the Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration El Paso Division, announced today that Brian Kain Purdy and Sabino Alfonso Maldonado, two of the 12 defendants apprehended during a joint enforcement operation in Carlsbad last year, have both pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges related to smuggling goods from the United States. Purdy, 42, of Carlsbad, will remain on conditions of release until sentencing, which is yet to be scheduled. Maldonado, 32, of Carlsbad, will stay in custody pending sentencing, also without a scheduled date.
In their plea agreements, Purdy and Maldonado admitted that on March 8, 2023, they picked up six firearms in Carlsbad under the direction of a co-conspirator. Alongside another individual, they wrapped the firearms in towels and loaded them into a Jeep, concealing them beneath other items. Subsequently, they handed over the Jeep to another individual, who had come from Mexico to retrieve the firearms and transport them back. Law enforcement officers intercepted the individual at the border, seizing the controlled firearms listed on the Commerce Control List. Purdy and Maldonado acknowledged that they hadn’t obtained the required license and written authorization to export the firearms, and were aware that their actions violated the law.
During sentencing, both Purdy and Maldonado could face up to 10 years in prison, followed by three years of mandatory supervised release.
The Drug Enforcement Administration led the investigation with support from Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Pecos Valley Drug Task Force. The investigation, with enforcement assistance from the United States Marshal Service, Carlsbad Police Department, Eddy County Sheriff’s Department, Roswell Police Department, Chaves County Drug Task Force, DEA Airwing, and Customs and Border Patrol, took place on August 1, 2023. The New Mexico Air National Guard’s Air Unit, Artesia Police Department, and Customs and Border Patrol’s Air Unit provided support during the operation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Renee L. Camacho and Devon Aragon-Martinez are prosecuting the case. This investigation was conducted as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), aiming to identify, disrupt, and dismantle high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. More information about the OCDETF Program can be found at [https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF](https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF).
View Maldonado’s Plea Agreement.