Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

ALBUQUERQUE – Dwayne Cunningham, 49, of Albuquerque, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court to a methamphetamine trafficking charge.  Cunningham’s plea agreement includes a recommendation that he be sentenced to 60 months of imprisonment followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.

 

Cunningham and co-defendants Devell Devoual, 35, and Cedric Laneham, 39, were arrested during an ATF-led investigation that resulted in the filing of 59 federal indictments and a federal criminal complaint charging 104 Bernalillo County residents with federal firearms and narcotics trafficking offenses.  The investigation began in mid-April 2016, when ATF personnel from throughout the country joined forces with federal, state, county and local law enforcement agencies in New Mexico to combat the high rate of violent crime in the Albuquerque metropolitan area.  The investigators utilized a number of investigative techniques, including undercover operations, historical investigation and targeting of multi-convicted felons in possession of firearms.

 

The investigation was undertaken in support of a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst” offenders for federal prosecution.  Under this initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies collaborate with New Mexico’s District Attorneys and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders for federal prosecution primarily based on their prior criminal convictions with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible.

 

Cunningham and his co-defendants were arrested in July 2016, on an indictment charging them with conspiring to distribute methamphetamine between May 16, 2016 and June 2, 2016; Devoual and Laneham with distributing methamphetamine on May 17, 2016; and Devoual and Cunningham with possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute on June 2, 2016.  According to the indictment, the defendants committed the offenses in Bernalillo County, N.M.

 

During today’s proceedings, Cunningham pled guilty to distributing more than 50 grams of methamphetamine on May 17, 2016.  Cunningham remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled. 

 

To date, 46 of the 104 defendants including Lucero have entered guilty pleas, and 18 have been sentenced.  The remaining defendants, including Devoual and Laneham, have entered not guilty pleas.  Charges in indictments are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law.

 

These cases were investigated by the Albuquerque office of ATF.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David M. Walsh and Norman Cairns.