One Cibola County man remained behind bars May 2 on felony charges stemming from an interagency drug bust, officials said. Another Cibola County man, arrested in the same drug raid, bonded out May 2, officials said.
Joseph Torrez, 39, and George Gallegos, age unavailable, were taken into custody at the Cibola County Detention Center on a myriad of felony charges. The charges ranged from drugs to weapons violations.
Torrez is jailed on a $76,000 bond and Gallegos had a bond set at $16,000, before he bonded out, according to jail records. Both individuals reside in Milan and possess prior criminal records, officials said.
Village of Milan Police Chief Pat Salazar said at about 6 am on April 28 that officers from the Milan and Grants police departments and the Cibola County Sheriff’s Office raided the San Jose Street residence of Torrez and came away with a litany of drug-related crimes.
“This is something that won’t be tolerated in Milan or anywhere in Cibola County for that matter,” Salazar said.
In explaining the raid, Salazar said Torrez was charged with possession of heroin with the intent to traffic (50,000), possession of marijuana ($250), possession of drug paraphernalia ($1,000), receiving stolen property ($5,000) and two counts of child abuse ($20,000). At the time of the drug raid, there were two minors present in the residence, hence the child abuse charges, Salazar said.
Gallegos was at the Torrez residence at the time of the raid and he was charged with possession of a stolen firearm ($5,000), possession of heroin ($5,000), and possession of drug paraphernalia ($1,000), and possession of stolen property ($5,000).
There was $2,700 in cash confiscated at the residence along with 1.2 ounces of heroin. The confiscated heroin has a street value of about $2,400, Salazar said.
The address of the drug raid is 618 San Jose St. in Milan.
Torrez and Gallagos are convicted felons with past drug charges in Cibola County.
“This is an example of what a multi-agency task force can do with respect to putting resources together,” Cibola County Sheriff Tony Mace said.
The drug bust was the first for Salazar since he took on the sheriff’s job a little more than two months ago.
By Bernie Dotson
Sun Correspondent
