Law Enforcement Closes Out Decade-Long Case Against Violent New Mexico Prison Gang
Federal prosecutors say decade-long efforts to prosecute members of a New Mexico crime syndicate are officially over, marking the end of the largest racketeering case in the district’s history.
The sweeping effort resulted in federal and state charges against 178 members and associates tied to the Syndicato de Nuevo Mexico (SNM) prison gang, a violent enterprise operating both inside and outside prison walls.
“This case required years of patience, discipline, and persistence from prosecutors, agents, and staff who stayed with it to the end,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison of the District of New Mexico. “It was difficult work, but it was necessary work, and this office saw it through.”
Violent Enterprise Spanning Decades
SNM originated in New Mexico’s state prison system in 1980 and functioned as a violent racketeering enterprise inside and outside of prison walls in New Mexico for decades. Prosecutors say it maintained power through “murder, kidnapping, drug trafficking, and witness intimidation.” The group also trafficked fentanyl and methamphetamine throughout New Mexico.
Massive Investigation
During the years-long investigation, law enforcement used extensive and long-term investigative techniques including more than 110 undercover drug and firearms purchases, dozens of confidential sources, and court-authorized wire intercepts.
"It is impossible to overstate the enormity of this investigation,” said FBI Albuquerque Division Special Agent in Charge Justin A. Garris.
Highlights of the investigation include the following:
156 individuals federally indicted.
Members charged and convicted for 13 murders.
Six jury trials resulting in nine convictions.
12 members were sentenced to life in prison.
Disruption of a 2015 plot to assassinate New Mexico State Police leadership and the state’s corrections secretary.
$1.8 million in cash, 1.1 million fentanyl pills, and 160 pounds of meth seized in coordinated 2022 raids.
The FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office Violent Gang Task Force (VGTF) led the investigation, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), along with other FBI offices, and state and local law enforcement.
