Login

Gallup Sun

Friday, Mar 29th

Last update12:57:39 AM GMT

You are here: News Public Safety Two Gallup men jailed on heroin charge, bench warrant

Two Gallup men jailed on heroin charge, bench warrant

E-mail Print PDF

Two known Gallup druggies with past criminal records remained behind bars April 6 in connection to a routine traffic stop. Officers with the Region 1 Task Force with the Gallup Police Department and McKinley County Sheriff’s Office stopped a 2002 Chevrolet pickup truck on March 28 at about 7:20 pm that was driven by an unknown female, and in which the two aforementioned males were passengers.

Michael Garcia, 60, and David Grijalva, 65, were passengers in the vehicle that was registered to Garcia. Garcia possessed an outstanding warrant for possession of heroin. He was immediately placed in handcuffs and jailed, according to a police report on the matter.

It was discovered that Grijalva had several items in his pants pocket, among them a syringe, various cigarette lighters, two used syringes, cook spoons, napkins, coins, dollar bills and pocket knives, the report states.

There was discovered a plastic baggie containing two round balls of a black tar-like substance that tuned out to be 11.2 grams of heroin that was in the possession of Grijalva, according to the police report. That amount was enough for police to determine that Grijalva had the intent of distributing the drug.

“During the search, I found a plastic baggie containing a black tar like substance, a metal Altoids container, with six individually wrapped baggies containing a black tar like substance, and a sandwich-type bag containing a glass-shard like substance,” states the police report.

Grijalva was charged with trafficking a controlled substance (heroin) and possession of drug paraphernalia. A third passenger in the vehicle, Oscar Moreno, was arrested and taken into custody on an outstanding bench warrant from McKinley County.

Grijalva and Garcia and Moreno were passengers in the car. Another person, the female driver, was allowed to go and was not arrested. Grijalva was convicted in 11th District Court in McKinley County in 2016 with the attempt to commit a drug felony. In that case, Grijalva received a three-year suspended sentence. Grijalva also spent time in a Texas prison for the 1977 murder of an Amarillo female for a botched robbery.

There were no attorneys listed in jail records for either Grijalva, Garcia or Moreno. Grivalja’s bond amount is $5,000. Garcia is jailed on a $10,000 bond and Moreno’s bond is listed at $1,500, according to jail records.

By Bernie Dotson

Sun Correspondent