Thread: El Paso: Pot bust leads to stash house

Pot in stinky load leads to bust at stash house
By Louie Gilot / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 09/01/2007 12:00:00 AM MDT

A tractor-trailer found to have marijuana hidden in a cargo of steer manure led investigators Thursday to a posh East El Paso stash house, where more drugs were found, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said.

ICE agents seized 2,477 pounds of marijuana -- 1,686 from the truck and 791 pounds from the house. They arrested Gracie Mandiola Hernandez, 36, a U.S. citizen, and her common-law husband, Arturo Varela Delgado, 52, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, at their house in the 2000 block of Pueblo Nuevo Circle Thursday afternoon, officials said. They also arrested the driver of the tractor-trailer that started the investigation, Miguel Angel Loya, 34, a U.S. citizen living in Sunland Park.

The three are charged with possession with intent to distribute and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute. If convicted, they could face 40 years in prison, officials said.

Mandiola Hernandez and Varela lived at stash house with several young children, officials said. ICE agents found marijuana hidden throughout the house, including in the garage and in a furnace closet. They also seized three vehicles from the house -- a 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche, 1997 Ford F-150 Harley-Davidson edition pickup and a 1996 Toyota 4Runner, officials said.

Earlier Thursday, Border Patrol agents stopped Loya's truck at the Sierra Blanca checkpoint and found that it contained drugs, officials said. An investigation later led to the stash house.

Louie Gilot may be reached
at lgilot@elpasotimes.com; 546-6131.

http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_6776472

I am waiting for the outrage....we can't put them in jail for 40 years...we'd be separating them from their kids... we're taking away their livlihood by taking the drugs...this is America,....they should be able to do what they want...

Tom Tancredo is awesome! -- I read his book several months ago, and it was dead on. But Ron Paul is even better, because he reaches out to so many additional issues that the other candidates really don't...vote for Ron Paul!

Ostrich