Five charged over meth and fentanyl ring run from Mexican prison into New Mexico

Five people face federal drug charges after an FBI and HSI investigation into a trafficking ring coordinated from a jail in Ciudad Juarez. A 16-year-old was used to deliver drugs in one transaction.

Drug ring directed from Ciudad Juarez jail led to three undercover buys in New Mexico

Five people have been federally charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl following a multiagency investigation into a trafficking operation run from a prison in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, justice.gov reported.

According to court documents, investigators identified Felix Anthony Salazar III, 34, an American citizen held in a Ciudad Juarez jail, as the alleged coordinator of the operation. Beginning in mid-2025, the FBI, the Las Cruces/Doña Ana County Metro Narcotics unit, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) tracked the organisation as it allegedly moved drugs into southern New Mexico.

First transaction: a kilogram of meth delivered by a minor

On 5 September 2025, Salazar allegedly arranged for an undercover agent to buy approximately one kilogram of methamphetamine for $3,800 in Anthony, New Mexico. Yadira Lizett Cano, 28, of El Paso, Texas, drove to the meeting location with a 16-year-old passenger, who handed the drugs to the agent and collected the cash. Laboratory testing confirmed approximately 973 grams of pure methamphetamine. Investigators allege that Cano knowingly used the juvenile to carry out the handover.

Second transaction: half a kilogram in Sunland Park

On 17 September 2025, Salazar allegedly coordinated a second deal — roughly half a kilogram of methamphetamine for $1,800 — in Sunland Park, New Mexico. Moses Andrew Gonzales, 36, and Martha Janeth Grijalva Fierro, 36, both of El Paso, arrived together; Gonzales delivered the drugs to the undercover agent. Communications recovered by investigators allegedly linked Grijalva Fierro to the arrangement. Laboratory testing confirmed approximately 468 grams of pure methamphetamine.

Third transaction: meth and fentanyl pills in Las Cruces

On 24 October 2025, Salazar allegedly arranged a third transaction in Las Cruces involving both methamphetamine and fentanyl pills. Suleima Eidali Miranda, 31, directed the undercover agent to a residence where she allegedly exchanged packages of drugs for $2,000. Testing confirmed approximately 984 grams of pure methamphetamine and 251 grams of fentanyl.

Charges and arrests

All five defendants — Salazar, Cano, Gonzales, Grijalva Fierro and Miranda — are charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Cano faces the additional charges of distribution of methamphetamine and using a juvenile in a drug operation. Gonzales and Grijalva Fierro are each separately charged with distribution of methamphetamine. Miranda is charged with distribution of methamphetamine and fentanyl, and she and Salazar are both additionally charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.

All five have been arrested and are in federal custody. Salazar, who had remained incarcerated in Ciudad Juarez throughout the investigation, surrendered to law enforcement on the night of Sunday, 11 October 2026, after crossing the border from Mexico into the United States.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Special Agent in Charge Justin A. Garris of the FBI's Albuquerque Field Office announced the charges. Assistant U.S. Attorney Devon Aragon Martinez is prosecuting the case.

The investigation was conducted by the Las Cruces Resident Agency of the FBI's Albuquerque Field Office, with support from the Las Cruces/Doña Ana County Metro Narcotics unit and HSI. The case falls under the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF), an interagency initiative established by Executive Order 14159 and focused on dismantling criminal cartels, transnational criminal organisations, and human trafficking networks operating in the United States.

All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)