Federal authorities have arrested two men in Albuquerque, disrupting a contraband operation linked to the Cibola County Correctional Center. The arrests followed search warrants that led to the discovery of weapons, drugs, and evidence of drug trafficking.
Michael “Gomer” Ernest Garcia, 46, was apprehended on federal and state warrants. Eric Edwards, 36, was also taken into custody on a state warrant. Garcia was the last defendant sought in an investigation into a conspiracy involving both incarcerated and non-incarcerated individuals forming a drug trafficking network introducing contraband into the correctional facility in Milan, NM.
Authorities seized multiple firearms from Garcia’s residence, including one pistol with a machine gun conversion device, five AR-15 rifles, two AR-15 pistols, and one AK-47 rifle. They also found more than two dozen high-capacity magazines and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Controlled substances such as methamphetamine and heroin were also confiscated.
Garcia had been evading law enforcement for over two years and was listed on the "METRO 15" wanted poster.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez; Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office; and David Barnett, U.S. Marshal for the District of New Mexico.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Albuquerque Division Violent Gang Task Force (VGTF) and United States Marshals Service with assistance from the CoreCivic Intelligence Unit and New Mexico State Police. Assistant United States Attorneys Paul Mysliwiec and David Hirsch are prosecuting the case.
The VGTF is an FBI-led task force comprising agents and officers from various local law enforcement agencies.