An Artesia man has been sentenced to nearly 10 years imprisonment on heroin trafficking charges in Eddy County.
Joshua Grantham, 36, of Artesia, was sentenced Wednesday in Fifth Judicial District Court to eight years in prison after being found guilty of heroin trafficking.
The investigation into Grantham’s crimes was conducted by the Pecos Valley Drug Task Force, which executed a search warrant on a home in Carlsbad at which Grantham was residing.
During the search, agents seized heroin, currency, marijuana, drug paraphernalia, and a firearm, and Grantham was subsequently charged with trafficking heroin in Artesia and Carlsbad. He was found guilty and sentenced as a habitual offender, enhancing the time of imprisonment allowed.
Following his release, Grantham will serve two years of parole and five years of supervised probation.
Also on May 2, Tina Derrington, of Carlsbad, and Nemecio Manriquez, also of Carlsbad, were convicted and sentenced for methamphetamine and cocaine trafficking respectively in South Eddy County.
Derrington was found by the PVDTF to be selling meth in Carlsbad, working alongside an accomplice, identified as Andrew Bedio. Bedio previously pleaded guilty and is currently incarcerated. Derrington was sentenced to five years in prison, followed by two years of parole and five of supervised probation.
Manriquez was found guilty of cocaine trafficking following a PVDTF investigation that uncovered large amounts of the drug in Manriquez’s vehicle and home. He was sentenced to five years in prison, followed by two years’ parole and five years’ supervised probation.
Judge Lisa Riley presided over all three trials, and Assistant District Attorney Adam Harper prosecuted on behalf of the State of New Mexico.
The cases represent an ongoing effort by the PVDTF, the Carlsbad and Artesia Police Departments, the Eddy County Sheriff’s Office, and the Fifth Judicial District Attorney’s Office to reduce illegal drug activity in Eddy County.
