Arturo Flores, 50, of El Paso was arrested last May in Chaparral with 4,910 pounds of marijuana following an undercover investigation by the Las Cruces-Dona Ana County Metro Narcotics Agency, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported.

But following his sentencing in state District Court last month, he is unlikely to spend a single day in a New Mexico prison, Deputy District Attorney James Dickens told the Sun-News.

The nearly 5,000 pounds of pot found inside a Chaparral home and inside Flores' 1998 Chevy panel truck was thought to be the single largest marijuana confiscation to date, with a street value of $6 million, Sgt. Joseph Gonzales told the paper.

Flores, who was already on federal probation for a marijuana distribution conviction, now faced New Mexico charges of distributing marijuana, conspiracy and being a habitual offender, and Dickens sought the maximum 6 1/2-year sentence, the Sun-News reported.

On March 31, state District Judge Doug Driggers imposed the 6 1/2-year sentence, but ordered it to run concurrently with a four-year sentence Flores is currently serving for probation violation at La Tuna federal prison in Anthony, Texas, the paper said.

And with good behavior, Dickens told the Sun-News, Flores could be out of prison in two years after spending his time at La Tuna.

"It's likely he will never serve a day in New Mexico for 5,000 pounds (of marijuana)," Dickens told the paper. "It is a disappointment."

Dickens, who mainly prosecutes drug cases, told the Sun-News he will no longer prosecute such large-scale cases, referring them instead to federal authorities for prosecution. 

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