Thread: N.M. police chief, mayor, trustee caught in federal sweep

Columbus police chief, mayor, trustee caught in federal sweep

Sun-News report
Posted: 03/10/2011 10:37:35 AM MST

LAS CRUCES - Luna County officials have confirmed the arrest of Columbus Police Chief Angelo Vega, Mayor Eddie Espinoza, and trustee Blas Gutierrez as part of an overnight roundup by federal agents.
Sherrif Raymond Cobos and Capt. Arturo Baeza of the Luna County Sheriff's Office confirmed the arrests to the Deming Headlight Thursday morning.

According to the officers the raid was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation following an investigation of federal firearms and drug trafficking allegations.

A sealed federal indictment from the U.S. Attorney's Office is expected to be released this afternoon.

Federal and local law enforcement conducted the sweep in Las Cruces, Chaparral and Columbus beginning just after midnight.

In El Paso, U.S. authorities indicted 35 alleged leaders, members and associates of the Barrio Azteca gang on Wednesday, including 10 men charged in connection with the killing of three people linked to the U.S. Consulate in Juárez last year. The FBI-led a multi-agency strike against the binational gang and arrested 12 people during raids Wednesday morning in El Paso and southern New Mexico.

Officers are still in the field finishing up today's New Mexico operation, according to sources who were not authorized to speak publicly about the details of the operation or the suspects they might have picked up.

The indictment from a federal grand jury held several days ago is expected to be unsealed today. Until then, the U.S. Attorney's Office, which is heading up the release of information on this morning's raids, has not been authorized to confirm any of the information about the alleged crimes and the people now in custody.

"I don't have any public-record information at this time," said Elizabeth Martinez, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Mexico. Martinez said more information would be made available later today.

http://www.elpasotimes.com/newupdated/ci_17582291