Grants man caught with 2 pounds of pot

Copyright © 2008
Gallup Independent
By Jim Tiffin
Cibola County Bureau

George Romero

GRANTS — Police are calling an arrest of a Grants man and the recovery of 2 pounds of marijuana a major blow to distribution of marijuana in the area.

George Romero, 25, of 1901 Ann St., is charged in connection with one felony count each of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and distribution of a controlled substance.

Police acquired information from street sources and were able to get an arrest warrant issued by a Cibola County Magistrate Court judge to arrest Romero and search his home, property and vehicle at 1901 Ann St. for drugs and paraphernalia.

Romero faces a preliminary hearing Tuesday in Magistrate Court and could face up to six years in state prison, up to a fine of $10,000, or both, if prosecuted and convicted of both charges.

Grants Police Detective Sgt. John Castaneda said officers discovered about 313 grams of marijuana in Romero’s vehicle, along with a digital scale for weighing the drugs during the warranted search on Aug. 8.

“We usually find those who are buyers — a traffic stop here, an arrest there — and get bits and pieces of marijuana,” Castaneda said.

“Two pounds of marijuana is a lot for this area. It is rare for us to discover that much in any one location,” he said. “I would say he is a major distributor of marijuana in Grants.”

Castaneda said police know the drug is flowing into the city and is distributed, but it is difficult to find the dealers.

When police served the search warrant, the Special Weapons And Tactics team found $273 in cash in his room and the drugs and scale in the vehicle that was in the driveway at the residence.

The drugs and scale were seized as evidence, and Romero was booked into Cibola County Detention Center.

He is in custody on a $50,000 cash surety bond, meaning he has to pay 10 percent, or $5,000, in order to be released.

The court has ordered that he will submit to random urinalysis testing and drug screenings while in custody and if and when he is released on bond.

To contact reporter Jim Tiffin call (505) 285-4560 or e-mail: jtiffin.independent@yahoo.com.