5 suspects face federal charges in drug case based in Hobbs

HOBBS, N.M. – Five people face federal charges in what prosecutors say was a multistate methamphetamine and fentanyl trafficking and money laundering operation.

Court documents say Cesar Antonio Huerta, 28, led a Hobbs-based drug trafficking group that distributed methamphetamine and fentanyl between at least June 2025 and July 2026. Prosecutors say the operation stretched across New Mexico, Arizona and California.

According to the documents, Jesus Landeros, 31, supplied Huerta with drugs with help from Marycruz Perez, 34, and Josefina Cabrera-Becerra, 59. Prosecutors also allege Huerta and his girlfriend, Mariela Belen Lechuga, 24, redistributed the drugs in Hobbs and collected the money.

Investigators say the group used the U.S. mail to move drugs from Arizona and Southern California to addresses tied to Huerta. They identified at least 13 suspicious shipments between June and September 2025.

U.S. Postal Inspectors intercepted one parcel on Sept. 11, 2025, and investigators say it contained about 2.2 kilograms of pure methamphetamine. Court documents allege Cabrera mailed that package from Inglewood, California, and postal records, surveillance video and recorded jail calls linked the shipment to Huerta, Lechuga, Landeros and Cabrera.

How money was allegedly moved

Financial records also showed Huerta and Lechuga sent about $186,851 through Cash App, Zelle and other electronic payment platforms to Landeros, Perez and Cabrera between June 2025 and July 2026. Investigators say the payments used labels such as “clothes,” “shoes,” “rent” and “food” to hide drug proceeds.

Investigators also tied the group to other drug seizures, including shipments intercepted in Florida that contained methamphetamine and carfentanil-laced pills. In April 2026, authorities in California recovered about 5,997 grams of fentanyl and another pound of methamphetamine from Cabrera, according to the complaint.

Investigators say Huerta and Lechuga later traveled to California to get narcotics directly after law enforcement intercepted several mailed shipments. Records, surveillance and witness statements allegedly showed the group changed its methods while continuing to distribute drugs and move money through electronic payment services.

Charges

The complaint charges Huerta, Lechuga, Landeros, Perez and Cabrera-Becerra with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and conspiracy to commit money laundering. If convicted, each defendant faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison.

Huerta also faces a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Investigators say agents recovered a firearm during a September 2026 traffic stop from a vehicle occupied by Huerta and Lechuga, and court records say Huerta had a prior felony conviction that barred him from having a gun.

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