The Albuquerque FBI Division wants to remind holiday shoppers to be wary of online criminals who will be working overtime to steal their money and personal information.

“The holidays are a busy time for shoppers, and unfortunately, also for thieves,” Special Agent in Charge Raul Bujanda said. “A lot of problems probably could be avoided if people remembered an important rule: If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.”

New Mexicans lost almost $31 million to online scams in 2020.

The two most prevalent of these holiday scams are non-delivery and non-payment crimes.

In a non-delivery scam, a buyer pays for goods or services they find online, but those items are...

A semi-tractor trailer carrying rice crashed through a guardrail from I-40 onto West Maloney Avenue Dec. 1.

Both the Gallup Police and Fire Departments responded. Gallup Fire received a call at 2:07 pm of a single vehicle crash of a semi traveling east bound on the interstate, which crossed the median and the westbound lanes and landed on Maloney. Maloney was closed to traffic in both directions.

Two occupants of the truck were in the MedStar unit when the Fire Department arrived at the scene near Shaffer’s Mr. Tire at 610 W. Maloney Ave.

Scott Shaffer of the tire store said his employees and customers witnessed the accident, which occurred with a loud boom.

“Everybody...

GALLUP — Gallup Police Department Narcotics Agents and Detectives served a search warrant at 621 Jay Street in Red Hills Trailer Park on Nov. 24 at 3:49 pm. The warrant was related to an investigation into the alleged trafficking of methamphetamine and fentanyl.

Two adults were arrested.

Marqui Armstrong, 28, of Gallup, was charged with trafficking of a controlled substance by possession (fentanyl); a second-degree felony, trafficking of a controlled substance by possession (methamphetamine); a second-degree felony and two counts of retaining stolen property (fire-arms); both fourth-degree felonies.

Shaun Paglinawan, 44, of Gallup was charged with trafficking of a controlled...

GETTING THEIR STORIES STRAIGHT
Gallup, Nov. 4

A black Dodge Charger was seen driving too close to a semi truck near mile marker 20 on Interstate 40, where McKinley County Sheriff’s Deputy Brandon Salazar performed a traffic stop.

Salazar approached the vehicle and met the two occupants, Scott Blodgett, 46, and Adam Lafrance, 50, no address given for either man. After asking them to exit the vehicle to speak with him, Salazar noted the occupants began to talk to each other frantically, as though they were making sure they had the same story.

Blodgett told Salazar they were coming from San Jose, Calif., where they had finished a paint job. Salazar then spoke with Lafrance and...