Las Cruces gang probe leads to federal charges, solves 11 drive-by shootings

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KVIA) -- A multi-agency gang investigation in Las Cruces led to federal charges and the seizure of firearms and narcotics, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico said Friday.

Federal, state and Las Cruces law enforcement officers finished a months-long investigation targeting gang activity in the city.

During the investigation, officers executed 58 legal processes, which included search warrants, arrest warrants and court orders, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Authorities seized 19 firearms, three machine gun devices, two sets of body armor, 265 grams of methamphetamine and 200 grams of fentanyl, officials said.

The investigation also led investigators to solve 11 drive-by shootings in the Las Cruces area, officials said.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said it charged six people with federal offenses in the investigation. The cases included:

• Possession of a Firearm in a School Zone
• Discharging a Firearm in a School Zone
• Possession of a Firearm with an Obliterated Serial Number
• Receiving a Firearm While Under Indictment
• Possession of a Firearm by a Felon
• Possession of Body Armor by a Violent Felon
• Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine
• Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl

Others were charged in state court, officials said. Those offenses included:

• Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon
• Aggravated Battery with a Deadly Weapon
• Shooting At or From a Motor Vehicle (multiple counts)
• Unlawful Possession of a Handgun by a Person Under Age 19 (multiple counts)
• Possession of Cocaine

The Las Cruces Police Department's Street Crimes Unit led the investigation, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. The Las Cruces/Doña Ana Metro Narcotics Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Safe Streets Task Force and the Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office partnered with LCPD.