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AlamogordoUHMMHI1Thursday. May 22. 1986 25*Alamogordo, New Mexico, Vol. 92-No. 122Serving the Tularosa Basin since 1898By CHRISTOPHER CLAUSENDaily News Staff WriterA pre-dawn raid in Alamogordo this morning resulted in 16 people being arrested on a variety of drug distribution and related charges.75 indictments had been returned by an Otero County grand jury against 41 persons, 39 adults and two juveniles, as the result of a six month investigation conducted by undercover officers from the state police narcotics division and theDepartment of Public Safety.A combined team of over 100 federal, state and local law enforcement officersgathered at the Civic Center this morning at 5:30 a.m. toreceive instructions on arresting the suspects.DPS Chief Joe Houghtalin said the warrants would be issued for trafficking in cocaine, heroin, distribution of preludin, distribution of marijuana, trafficking in dilaudid, distribution of marijuana, distribution of LSD, conspiracy to distribute and receiving, concealing or transferring stolen property.Houghtalin said if officers suspected drugs were on any of the premises, they would need to return for a search warrant as the warrants this morning were only for arrest. He said the officers were allowed to sieze four automobiles and one motorcycle used to facilitate the sale or distribution of controlled substances.DPS Lt. Ray Bailey and two undercover officers then started handing out large manila envolopes containing arrest warrants and the supplimentary paperwork necessary to proccess those arrested.With the packets came advise from the three as to which suspects may be armed and should be considered dangerous and to which suspects may be “holding,” or in possession of drugs.“We’ve got more LSD and coke in town than ever before,” Bailey said of the types of drugs the arrests were based on. “The grasshas decreased and most of it is now home grown. For drug smugglers, its easier to smuggle coke than grass.”A|j| 1K Chrlatophar Clausin /Wi /WtvvaBEGINNING THE PROCESS — Sheriff's Office secretary LeslieCasino takes information on the arrest form for one of 16 suspects arrested this morninq on druq related indictments.Bailey said the heroin arrests did not include anyone trafficking in what is known as “Black Tar” heroin, thepowerful and sometimes deadly new form of Mexican heroin recently flooding into the southwest. It is so named because it resembles black roofing tar.At 5:55 a.m. the first team of law enforcement officers moved out to make an arrest and by 6 a.m. the first suspect was brought in to the Civic Center to be processed. After a series of nine teams returned withoutSee RAID/Page 18
Newspaper Details
Alamogordo Daily News
Alamogordo, New Mexico, US
Thu, May 22, 1986
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Bruce B.
USA 24 Oct 2018
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