ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —

Retired New Mexico State Police Lt. Carlos Antonio Perea, 56, has been charged with possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. According to federal court documents filed with the United States District Court on Aug. 6, 2025, several packages of fentanyl were found inside a duffel bag and two spare tires in Perea's vehicle during a traffic stop in August 2025.

View federal court documents here .

A 31-year-old woman, identified as Catherine Anne Schmidt, was traveling alongside Perea on Interstate 40 prior to his arrest. According to court documents, officers observed a white Sedan "swerve and cross the white fog line on the right side of the roadway," prompting a traffic stop, as the Sedan began to travel toward the 81-mile marker off-ra

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