An El Paso resident, Jeffery Christopher Saint Louis, has admitted guilt to federal drug trafficking charges. The plea follows a dramatic escape from a Border Patrol checkpoint in Otero County that led to a high-speed chase and ended with a head-on collision with a motorcyclist.
Court documents reveal that on November 8, 2023, Saint Louis drove through the checkpoint on Highway 54. When directed to secondary inspection, he fled towards Alamogordo at high speed on the wrong side of the road. This resulted in a collision with a motorcyclist.
Subsequently, the Otero County Sheriff's Office obtained a search warrant for his vehicle. They discovered nearly 10 kilograms of pure methamphetamine in the trunk. In his plea agreement, Saint Louis admitted knowing about the drugs and intending to distribute them.
Saint Louis could face between ten years and life imprisonment at sentencing, followed by up to five years of supervised release.
The announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin and Towanda R. Thorne-James, Special Agent in Charge for the DEA El Paso Division.
The investigation involved multiple agencies including the DEA, U.S. Border Patrol, Alamogordo Police Department, Otero County Sheriff’s Office, and New Mexico State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Devon Aragon Martinez and Maria Armijo are handling prosecution.