ALBUQUERQUE— A 24-year-old woman pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy to smuggle heroin and methamphetamine into the Otero County Prison Facility and is now facing up to 20 years behind bars when she is sentenced, officials said.
Ana Lopez, of Albuquerque, admitted that she was recruited to help smuggle drugs into the prison in January. She admitted delivering an ounce of heroin in February and in March.
Lopez was one of six individuals charged in April with conspiracy to violate the federal narcotics laws by smuggling controlled substances into the prison, authorities said.
The FBI began its investigation after getting information from New Mexico Corrections Department officials.
The other defendants charged with conspiracy to smuggle heroin and methamphetamine were Luis Delgadillo, 37, of El Paso, Texas, who was then employed as a corrections officer at the prison, Nancy Salas, 35, of Alamogordo, N.M., and three prison inmates, Eric Lovato, 30, of Boles Acres, N.M., and Armando Lopez, 27, and Gary Borja, 26, both of Albuquerque.
All six defendants subsequently were indicted on a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin charge on Aug. 20, 2014.
Lopez also admitted in her plea agreement that she met with Delgadillo who would smuggle the heroin into the prison. She gave him 25 grams of methamphetamine, 11 grams of heroin and 10 suboxone pills to smuggle into the prison, officials said.
Trials for the five co-defendants are pending. They are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Lopez’s sentencing hearing has not yet been set.