Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

ALBUQUERQUE – Timothy G. Tanner, 28, of Carlsbad, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to 105 months in prison for his conviction on federal firearms and drug trafficking charges.  Tanner will be on supervised release for five years after completing his prison sentence. 

Tanner was arrested on Oct. 10, 2017, on a three-count indictment charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number on June 2, 2016, and for possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute on Aug. 4, 2016.  According to the indictment, Tanner committed the crimes in Eddy County, N.M.  Tanner was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition because of his prior felony convictions for drug trafficking and tampering with evidence.

On Jan. 31, 2018, Tanner pled guilty to the indictment and admitted that on June 2, 2016, he sold a firearm with an obliterated serial number to an undercover law enforcement agent.  Tanner acknowledged that he was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because of his status as a convicted felon.  In entering his guilty plea, Tanner also admitted that on Aug. 4, 2016, he possessed approximately 48.92 grams of pure methamphetamine when he arrested on an outstanding arrest warrant.  Tanner admitted that he intended to distribute the drugs to others.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Pecos Valley Drug Task Force, and the DEA office in Las Cruces.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Clara Cobos and Renee L. Camacho of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office prosecuted the case.

The Pecos Valley Drug Task Force is comprised of officers from the Eddy County Sheriff’s Office, Carlsbad Police Department and Artesia Police Department and is part of the HIDTA Region VI Drug Task Force.  The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program was created by Congress with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988.  HIDTA is a program of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) which provides assistance to federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions of the United States and seeks to reduce drug trafficking and production by facilitating coordinated law enforcement activities and information sharing.