A former University of New Mexico football player, Rayshawn Boyce, faces a potential life sentence following a federal jury conviction on conspiracy and drug trafficking charges. The Department of Justice (DOJ) reports that Boyce, 29, orchestrated a methamphetamine distribution operation from within a New Mexico prison.

Boyce was previously convicted in federal court for robbing a postal worker at gunpoint. He was also found guilty of stealing an arrow key, a key used by postal workers to access mailboxes, and for being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. The armed robbery occurred in 2022.

While incarcerated at the Cibola County Correctional Center awaiting trial for these crimes, Boyce began smuggling methamphetamine into the prison with the assistance of Correctional Officer Gabriella Torres. Surveillance footage showed Torres smuggling a bundle of methamphetamine into the facility under her hoodie and dropping it in a cell for Boyce to retrieve. Boyce then concealed the drugs in a blanket.

When Boyce learned the jail would be searched, he attempted to hide the drugs in the shower area, but they were discovered by correctional officers. Buyers paid Torres via a CashApp account that Boyce instructed her to set up for the drug transactions. Torres pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and is awaiting sentencing. She also assisted in smuggling marijuana into the prison on two separate occasions.

Boyce has not yet been sentenced for the robbery or the drug trafficking charges. He remains in jail awaiting sentencing. In the robbery case, he faces up to 10 years in prison and three years of supervised release. The drug trafficking case carries a mandatory minimum term of 10 years, with a maximum sentence of life in prison.