Police Blotter | Inspection leads to drug seizure at Gallup port of entry

GALLUP

Two men were arrested last week when the New Mexico State Police located 489.5 pounds of marijuana, 2.5 pounds of fentanyl, 28.5 pounds of THC edibles, and one pound of psychedelic mushrooms while conducting a search.

On Jan. 21, at approximately 7:57 a.m., a state police officer inspected a 2012 Volvo commercial motor vehicle at the Gallup port of entry.

The officer observed 17 black duffel bags, three cardboard boxes, two plastic totes, and a trash bag within the CMV’s cab and trailer.

The officer detected a strong odor of marijuana coming from the trailer.

The drugs were found in the duffle bags, plastic totes, cardboard boxes, and trash bags.

Two handguns located inside the cab of the CMV were also seized.

The driver, Brandon Ammon Johnson, 39, of Laplace, Louisiana, and passenger, Terrance Colin Hicks Jr., 46, of Houston, were arrested and booked into the McKinley Adult Detention Center.

Johnson was charged with trafficking controlled substances-cocaine; trafficking controlled substances-Fentanyl; distribution of marijuana over 100 pounds, and distribution of a controlled substance-psychedelic mushrooms.

Hicks was charged with trafficking controlled substances-cocaine; trafficking controlled substances-Fentanyl; distribution of marijuana over 100 pounds; distribution of a controlled substance-psychedelic mushrooms; and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Kilo makes first K-9 bust

HOLBROOK – On Jan. 18, a Navajo County deputy with the Criminal Interdiction Unit conducted a traffic stop on Interstate 40 at milepost 257 in Winslow.

During the traffic stop, indicators of criminal activity were observed. K-9 Kilo was deployed to perform a free air sniff of the vehicle.

Kilo alerted on the vehicle and a search revealed nearly 5 pounds of heroin, 12 pounds of suspected Fentanyl powder, and approximately 12.7 pounds of alleged Fentanyl pills (over 57,000 pills).

The combined street value was more than $1.3 million.

Aurelio Orozco Munoz, 33, and Jeuz Abdiel Avilez Teran, 32, both of California, were arrested and booked into Navajo County Jail for transportation of a narcotic drug, possession of a narcotic drug for sale, and possession of a narcotic drug.

Fentanyl is a powerful pain medication, and it is an opioid, like morphine, codeine, oxycodone, and methadone.

Fentanyl is up to 100 times stronger than morphine and is extremely dangerous when not used in a prescribed manner and under the direction of a medical doctor. Because fentanyl is so strong, the difference between a dose that will get a person high and a dose that will cause death is minimal.

FBI: Protect your digital devices

PHOENIX – FBI Phoenix wants you to take advantage of the new year to do some deep cleaning of your digital devices. Keeping up with your “cyber hygiene” could help protect you from bad actors and help your machine run more efficiently.

Taking the proper security measures and being alert when connected is essential to preventing cyber intrusions and online crimes.

Here are tips on how to protect your computer:

• Keep your firewall turned on – A firewall helps protect your computer from hackers who might try to gain access to crash it, delete information, or even steal passwords or other sensitive information. Software firewalls are widely recommended for single computers, and the software is prepackaged on some operating systems or can be purchased for individual computers. For multiple networked computers, hardware routers typically provide firewall protection.
• Install or update your antivirus software – Antivirus software is designed to prevent malicious software programs from embedding on your computer. If it detects malicious code, like a virus or a worm, it works to disarm or remove it. Viruses can infect computers without users’ knowledge. Most types of antivirus software can be set up to update automatically.
• Install or update your antispyware technology – Spyware is software that is secretly installed on your computer to let others peer into your activities on the computer. Some spyware collects information about you without your consent or produces unwanted pop-up ads on your web browser.
  Some operating systems offer free spyware protection, and inexpensive software is readily available for download on the Internet.

Be wary of ads on the Internet offering downloadable antispyware—in some cases, these products may be fake and contain spyware or other malicious code. Shop where you trust.

• Keep your operating system up to date – Computer operating systems are periodically updated to stay in tune with technology requirements and fix security holes. Be sure to install the updates to ensure your computer has the latest protection.
• Be careful what you download – Carelessly downloading email attachments can circumvent even the most vigilant antivirus software. Never open an email attachment from someone you don’t know, and be wary of forwarded attachments from people you do know.
• If you are the victim of online or internet-enabled crime, file a report with the Internet Crime Complaint Center as soon as possible. Rapid reporting can help support the recovery of lost funds.

Information: IC3.gov

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