Carlsbad man sentenced to five years on gun and drug charges

               ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Kristopher Wade Parker, 36, of Carlsbad, New Mexico, was sentenced on Oct. 14 in federal court to five-and-a-half years in prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession of a firearm in the furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

              Parker pleaded guilty on Oct. 25, 2019. In the plea agreement, Parker admitted that on May 13, 2019, he possessed approximately 279 pills, or 30.911 grams, of fentanyl with the intent to distribute the drug to others in exchange for money.  Parker also admitted that he possessed a .40 caliber handgun in furtherance of his drug trafficking activities.

              Upon release from prison, Parker will serve three years of supervised release.

              Agents from the Pecos Valley Drug Task Force investigated this case in conjunction with Drug Enforcement Administration agents. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley H. Bartlett prosecuted this case.