Diego Lopez, Reporter
LAGUNA, N.M. – Albuquerque, New Mexico man John Seibel was sentenced to 17 years and six months in prison for drug trafficking across New Mexico. Working with the federal government, the Laguna Police Department assisted in taking down the criminal.
Seibel is a 26-year-old that was sentenced to over 17 years in federal prison for two counts of distribution of 50 grams and more of a substance and mixture containing methamphetamine, two counts of distribution of 500 grams and more of a mixture containing methamphetamine, and one more count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
In a plea deal, Seibel admitted that he was the head of a drug trafficking organization that distributed methamphetamine and fentanyl in New Mexico.
Seibel admitted that between April 1, 2021, and June 15, 2021, he sold drugs to a person who was actually an undercover Drug Enforcement Administration operative. The first few drug buys saw fentanyl pills which were manufactured by unnamed “others.” In this period of time, Seibel purchased a pill press and began to create his own fentanyl pills. On May 12, Seibel sold fentanyl pills he manufactured on his own to an undercover operative. According to the United States Department of Justice, Seibel’s operation was creating large amounts of fentanyl pills. Cibola County Sheriff Tony Mace has called dealers like Seibel “Street-level pharmacists” because they have the ability to make the drug and sell it on their own with no oversight from authorities or medical regulators. Unlike a legitimate pharmacist, dealers like Seibel are not chemists and could easily create drugs that have an unintentional effect like an overdose or even death.
From April 1 to May 27, Seibel sold 2,437.8 grams of methamphetamine, and 546.4 grams of fentanyl.
The federal government used assistance from the Laguna Police Department in Laguna, New Mexico when they made their arrest. On June 15, after meeting with an undercover operative, Seibel sold the agent 1,368.6 grams of fentanyl and 1,333 grams of methamphetamine. After the arrests, the task force executed several search warrants for Seibel’s house, vehicle, and other known locations where his drug activity took place. In his home and car, agents found $84,139.19 in cash, which Seibel admitted in his plea deal came from illegal drug sales. At a house owned by Seibel in Tijeras, N.M., task force agents found a pill press and multiple materials used to manufacture fentanyl pills. Across the locations searched by the agents, 833.7 grams of powdered fentanyl, 400 grams of blue fentanyl pills, 48.3 of yellow fentanyl pills and 7,762 grams of methamphetamine. At an additional stash house in Albuquerque, N.M., agents confiscated 634 grams of methamphetamine, and 3,869.4 grams of fentanyl pills.
“John Seibel endangered the lives of countless people in the callous pursuit of his own enrichment,” said U.S. Attorney Alexander M. M. Uballez. “The illegal and unregulated manufacture and trafficking of counterfeit pills has contributed to the toll of fentanyl overdoses that have ravaged the District of New Mexico and communities across the nation. We will work diligently to halt these manufacturing operations and prosecute those who would profit from their flagrant disregard for the lives of our people.”
This was a massive operation that stretched across New Mexico. Siebel is one of three known suspects, and the first member of this group to be prosecuted.
“While drug overdose/ poisoning deaths continue to rise in our nation, Mr. Seibel made these dangerous illegal drugs readily available to New Mexicans for his profit,” said Greg Millard, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA El Paso Division. “DEA and its partners will continue to hold accountable those responsible for poisoning our communities, as we step up our campaigns to educate the public about the dangers of illicit drug use and medication misuse.”
When he is released from prison, Seibel will have to go through five years of supervised release.
Many agencies were involved in this case, they include: Pueblo of Laguna Police Department, DEA Albuquerque District Office, DEA El Paso Division, DEA El Paso Division SRT, DEA Las Cruces District Office, DEA St. Louis Division, DEA South Central Laboratory, DEAAviation, FBI Albuquerque Field Office, United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, Albuquerque Police Department, Pueblo of Pojoaque Police Department, Valencia County Sheriff’s Office, Rio Rancho Police Department, Torrance County Sheriff’s Office, Belen Police Department and Albuquerque Fire & Rescue.
The US Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico prosecuted this case which took copious amounts of potentially lethal drugs off the street.