Two Bernalillo County Sheriff’s deputies are facing federal charges for allegedly tipping off a drug trafficker about an upcoming DEA raid, announced U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton for the Northern District of Texas, who is prosecuting the case.
Deputy Kyle Linker, 33, pleaded guilty to one count of obstruction of justice on Tuesday. His fellow deputy, Paul Jessen, Jr., 34, was indicted on multiple charges, including conspiracy to obstruct justice, obstruction of justice, and making false statements. Jessen has yet to enter a plea.
According to court documents, the deputies first met the drug trafficker during a July 2021 state search warrant execution at his home in Los Ranchos, New Mexico. After finding methamphetamine, the deputies recruited him as a confidential informant. In November 2021, Linker was notified by a DEA agent about an upcoming operation near the trafficker’s residence. Fearing the trafficker might be targeted, Linker warned him, leading the trafficker to cancel a drug transaction. As a result, the DEA was unable to gather crucial evidence.
The DEA became suspicious after reviewing the trafficker’s phone records and planned another raid without informing Linker. In December 2021, agents executed a search warrant at the trafficker’s residence, finding over 470 grams of methamphetamine and a firearm. During an interview, the trafficker admitted that Linker had tipped him off about the previous raid.
In a covert effort to confirm the trafficker's account, DEA agents devised a plan and informed Linker of an upcoming sting operation. Despite explicit instructions not to warn the trafficker, Linker immediately contacted him and said he was "on DEA’s radar," instructing him to have someone else handle the drug deal. Linker then informed Jessen about the operation, to which Jessen allegedly advised the trafficker to "go to a hotel or stay with someone else for a bit."
Unbeknownst to the deputies, the trafficker was still with law enforcement when he received these calls. Jessen allegedly used his own phone to contact the trafficker in an attempt to provide "plausible deniability" for Linker.
The drug trafficker was charged separately and pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine in June 2024. He is awaiting sentencing.
Linker faces up to 20 years in federal prison, while Jessen, if convicted on all charges, could face up to 70 years. The investigation was conducted by the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, the DEA, and the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General. Northern District of Texas Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Long is prosecuting the case in the District of New Mexico.
Special Agent in Charge Raul Bujanda of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office stated, “It's deeply troubling when sworn law enforcement officers disclose information about upcoming operations to criminals. It endangers the officers and jeopardizes critical evidence.”
U.S. Attorney Simonton added, “When we find a uniformed officer has undermined another agency’s investigation, we take swift action.”
