A former University of New Mexico football player has been convicted of conspiring to distribute methamphetamine while incarcerated at Cibola County Correctional Center (CCCC), the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico announced Tuesday.
Rayshawn Boyce, 29, was found guilty of conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine after a five-day trial and three-and-a-half hours of jury deliberation. Boyce was in custody at CCCC awaiting trial for the 2022 armed robbery of a U.S. Postal Service employee when he orchestrated the drug trafficking scheme inside the jail.
On May 17, 2022, correctional staff discovered a bag containing about one pound of methamphetamine in a shower area of a housing unit. Surveillance footage from the night before showed Correctional Officer Gabriella Torres smuggling the drugs into the facility hidden under her hoodie. Torres then dropped the package near Boyce’s cell, where he later retrieved it, hid it in a blanket, and moved it before the search.
The department confirmed that Boyce and Torres were in a romantic relationship, and that Torres had previously smuggled marijuana into the facility on two occasions. Torres pleaded guilty to conspiracy and remains on release pending sentencing, facing 10 years to life in prison.
In addition to his drug conviction, Boyce was convicted in April 2024 for robbing a postal worker, stealing a USPS arrow key, and unlawfully possessing a firearm. He faces up to 10 years in prison for that conviction.
