Two More Defendants Arrested During 2023 Joint Enforcement Operation in Carlsbad Plead Guilty to Federal Drug Offenses

ALBUQUERQUE – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Towanda R. Thorne-James, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration El Paso Division, announced today that Kassandra Lee Perales and Jared Michael Moore, two of the 12 defendants arrested during a joint enforcement operation last year in Carlsbad, pleaded guilty in federal court to federal drug offenses.

Perales, 33, of Carlsbad, pleaded guilty on Feb. 6, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine and 400 grams and more of fentanyl, conspiracy to distribute 500 grams and more of cocaine, attempt to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine, attempt to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute 400 grams and more of fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine. Moore, 42, of Carlsbad, pleaded guilty on Feb. 27, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute cocaine and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Both Perales and Moore will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled.

According to publicly available court records, on March 5, 2023, Moore took possession of 55.8 net grams of cocaine with the intent of distributing it. When he was driving away, law enforcement agents stopped Moore and seized the cocaine, as well as 10.97 grams of pure meth.

On April 3, 2023, Perales traveled from Carlsbad to El Paso to pick up 1,974 net grams of cocaine and 501.4 net grams of pure meth that had been transported from Mexico into the United States the day before and left in the trunk of a vehicle. Unbeknownst to Perales, the drugs had been seized by law enforcement the day before.

The following week, on April 10, 2023, Perales met with another individual and took possession of 893.3 net grams of pure meth and 657 net grams of fentanyl pills with the intent of transporting them to North Dakota to sell. On April 11, 2023, Perales departed Carlsbad for North Dakota when they were stopped by officers who seized the drugs.

At sentencing, Perales faces between 10 years and life in prison followed by a term of supervised release and Moore faces up to 20 years in prison followed by a term of supervised release.

The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated this case with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Pecos Valley Drug Task Force, with enforcement assistance from the United States Marshal Service, Carlsbad Police Department, Eddy County Sheriff’ Department, Roswell Police Department, Chaves County Drug Task Force, DEA Airwing and Customs and Border Patrol. 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 on August 1, 2023.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Renee L. Camacho and Devon Aragon-Martinez are prosecuting the case.

This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.

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