Local law enforcement agencies assist in Luna County drug bust.

Category: Front Page News Front Page News
Published: 20 May 2016 20 May 2016

By Roger Lanse

The Grant County Sheriff's Department and the Silver City Police Department were part of a multi-agency probe led by Homeland Security Investigations into methamphetamine trafficking in and around Deming.

Four Deming residents, Domingo Rodriguez, 45; Leslie Frank Williams, 51; Oscar Garcia, 45; Andy Garcia, 43; and a Tucson resident, Estella Aguilar, 44, were charged with narcotics trafficking and money laundering on Thursday, May 19, in Las Cruces federal court.

The charges were announced by U. S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez, Special Agent in Charge Waldemar Rodriguez of HSI - El Paso, Luna County Sheriff Jonathan Mooradian, Grant County Sheriff Raul Villanueva, Chief Ed Reynolds of the Silver City Police Department and Chief Brandon Gigante of the Deming Police Department.

According to a press release, the investigation included a series of meth purchases by individuals working under the supervision of law enforcement officers, during which, authorities seized and purchased more than two pounds of meth, and seized more than another pound during law enforcement operations on Thursday, May 19.

Williams and Rodriguez were arrested Thursday, May 19, the release said, and made their initial appearance in federal court on Friday, May 20. Oscar Garcia is in state custody in Oklahoma and Andy Garcia is in state custody in New Mexico, both on unrelated charges. Aguilar has yet to be arrested and is considered a fugitive.

If convicted on the meth charges, each of the five defendants face a statutory mandated sentence of from 10 years to life in prison. If convicted of money laundering, Rodriguez, Oscar Garcia, and Aguilar each face a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. The indictment also includes forfeiture provisions seeking a money judgment of $1 million, the sum allegedly derived from the drug trafficking crimes.

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.