Ex-New Mexico police informant headed to prison after admitting 5 bank robberies to feed addiction

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico man who confessed to five bank robberies last year, including one bank he robbed twice, has been sentenced to more than two years in prison. Jason Smeltzer made off with a total of less than $4,000 during the five robberies over five weeks in early 2022. The 41-year-old who once served as a confidential informant for Albuquerque police said he needed money to buy drugs to feed his fentanyl addiction. He had no weapon but handed notes to tellers claiming he was a vigilante helping law enforcement and asking that they “please” place bills in an envelop. He was arrested hours after the last heist.