Man from Albuquerque Faces Federal Drug and Firearm Possession Charges
ALBUQUERQUE – Christopher Salcido, 19, of Albuquerque, N.M., appeared in federal court today for an arraignment on an indictment charging him with possession with intent to distribute cocaine and using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
A grand jury returned the indictment against Salcido on May 22, 2019. According to court documents, officers from the Albuquerque Police Department stopped Salcido in his car on May 9, 2019. At the time of the traffic stop, Salcido possessed a semiautomatic pistol near the driver’s seat and two bags of cocaine in the glove box weighing about 63 grams.
The charges in an indictment and criminal complaint are only accusations. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Salcido is currently in custody pending trial. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of the drug offense and a consecutive sentence of at least 5 years if convicted of the firearm charge.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Albuquerque Police Department investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jon K. Stanford is prosecuting the case.
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