A Las Cruces resident, David De La Paz, 59, has been charged in federal court following an investigation led by the FBI into drug trafficking activities. The investigation began in late 2025 and involved the FBI Safe Streets Gang Task Force and the Las Cruces/Dona Ana County Metro Narcotics Agency. Authorities allege that De La Paz and others were involved in distributing narcotics, possessing firearms illegally, and related criminal conduct in Las Cruces.
On February 3, 2026, investigators obtained a federal search warrant for De La Paz’s home. The warrant was executed two days later with support from the FBI Albuquerque SWAT team. According to court documents, when agents entered the residence, De La Paz was found standing next to a loaded AR-15 style rifle on his bed.
During their search of the property, law enforcement recovered several loaded firearms—most located in De La Paz’s bedroom—as well as drug paraphernalia and substances believed to be fentanyl, methamphetamine, and approximately 30 grams of cocaine. Field tests indicated these substances were presumptively positive for illegal drugs.
De La Paz faces charges including possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. He is currently detained pending a detention hearing that has not yet been scheduled. If convicted on all counts, he could face up to 25 years in prison.
Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison announced the charges on behalf of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF). Assistant U.S. Attorney Devon Aragon Martinez is prosecuting the case.
“This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States,” according to today’s announcement.
The case involves cooperation among numerous agencies under HSTF Region II CORE 7—including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms & Explosives (ATF), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Customs & Border Protection offices including U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) and Air & Marine Operations (AMO), Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Joint Task Force North (JTF-N), United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), United States Marshal Service (USMS), Department of State Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS), Texas Department Public Safety (TXDPS), El Paso Police Department (EPPD), New Mexico State Police (NMSP), West Texas/New Mexico High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program (HIDTA), Albuquerque Police Department as well as local judicial districts.
A reminder from authorities states: “An indictment or criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
