Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

ALBUQUERQUE – Daniel Jojola, 34, of Roswell, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to 46 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for violating the federal firearms laws.

Jojola was arrested on June 19, 2017, on a criminal complaint charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of heroin and methamphetamine with intent to distribute on March 30, 2017, in Chaves County, N.M.  According to the complaint, Chaves County Metro Narcotics Task Force (CCMNTF) agents seized approximately 55.2 grams of heroin, 7.0 grams of methamphetamine, a firearm, ammunition and drug paraphernalia from Jojola’s hotel room during the execution of a search warrant.  According to court documents, Jojola was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he previously had been convicted of unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, conspiracy, burglary, contributing to delinquency of a minor, cocaine trafficking and possession of a controlled substance.

On Aug. 9, 2017, Jojola pled guilty to a felony information charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm. In entering the guilty plea, Jojola admitted that on March 30, 2017, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant on the hotel room he was occupying  and observed Jojola lying on a bed on top of a handgun.  Jojola further admitted that he was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition because of his prior felony convictions.

This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the CCMNTF.  Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Clara Cobos prosecuted the case.

The HIDTA Chaves County Metro Narcotics Task Force is comprised of investigators from the Roswell Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI and the Chaves County Sherriff’s Office.  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.