ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A man who has been in trouble with the law since he was a teen is heading to federal court on drug and gun charges. He was involved in a deadly carjacking eight years ago and got numerous chances to rehabilitate himself. But now, he’s in trouble again.
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Quontez Kuvinka will have his day in federal court next month facing trial for drug trafficking and weapons charges. He’s been in the news since 2017 when he was involved in a carjacking at an apartment near Tramway Blvd. and Indian School Rd. at the age of 17.
Kuvinka, and two friends, led police on a chase in the stolen Jeep, running red lights and struck another vehicle, killing D’Markus Blea. Kuvinka pled guilty to conspiracy and delinquency. Judge Cindy Leos delayed his sentence and ordered him to attend a court program.
But the young man couldn’t keep out of trouble, posting videos on social media that referenced drugs and showed him firing weapons. Kuvinka was sent back to the program.
Then Bernalillo County District Attorney Raúl Torrez was livid. “Frankly, I do not have any confidence now even after he has been convicted that he will be sentenced and dealt with appropriately,” said Torrez in 2020.
But he was arrested after getting caught with drugs and firearms during a traffic stop in September 2020. Kuvinka was sentenced to more than six years in prison but was released in March 2024. By August, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and the Albuquerque Police Department’s Narcotics Unit were investigating him for trafficking drugs and even purchased some from one of Kuvinka’s sellers the following month.
When they arrested him, he had nearly a pound of fentanyl, more than a half-pound of meth, eight guns, and two machine gun conversion devices. Kuvinka is scheduled to go to trial on April 1.
The City of Albuquerque ended up paying more than a million-dollar settlement to Blea’s family as part of a lawsuit in which they claimed police created a dangerous situation by chasing the teens in the stolen Jeep.