Drug trafficking charges filed against suspect in Railroad Avenue shooting
Police allege a man arrested after a shooting on Railroad Avenue last month had Xanax, Suboxone and fentanyl on him while being booked into jail on charges related to the shooting.
Preston R. Martinez, 34, of Chacon, was booked into the San Miguel County Detention Center after being arrested Nov. 16. Authorities filed new charges Dec. 2, alleging Martinez attempted to hide illegal narcotics in his anus, according to an arrest affidavit filed in Magistrate Court.
During the intake process, corrections officers and deputies with the San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office allege Martinez was carrying $2,254 in U.S. currency “in small increments,” according to the affidavit. Martinez also had 44 strips of Suboxone wrapped in clear cellophane, packaging that’s often used in narcotic sales, according to police.
Suboxone is the brand name for a medication used to treat opioid addiction, one that is often trafficked and misused in jails and prisons.
Officers seized the money and Suboxone strips as evidence and took Martinez to a cell for a strip search. There, officers discovered a “clear bottle” hidden between Martinez’s legs.
“It looked like he was trying to place the bottle in his anus,” a corrections officer wrote in the affidavit.
Officers allege Martinez concealed the bottle in a hand and refused to let go of it. Corrections officers took Martinez to the ground and wrestled the bottle from his hand, according to the affidavit. Inside the bottle, officers recovered 40 Fentanyl pills, one broken Fentanyl pill and one Xanax “bar,” a rectangular tablet with four separate pills that can be broken off. Police estimate the street value of the pills to be $840.
Martinez is charged with trafficking controlled substances, distribution of a controlled substance and tampering with evidence.
During a hearing Friday, Judge Christian Montaño cited an “extensive” criminal history when setting bond for Martinez at $30,000, cash only. The case was also transferred to District Court for trial.
As previously reported by the Optic, Martinez is accused of shooting a man in the 1000 block of Railroad Avenue following an argument outside an RV trailer. In that case, during a Nov. 19 hearing, Judge Montaño set bond for Martinez at $50,000, cash only. That case has also been transferred to District Court for trial.
While setting bond in both cases, Judge Montaño cited Martinez’s lengthy criminal history, which includes a 2007 conviction for battery against a household member, a 2010 conviction for robbery, a 2016 conviction for aggravated battery on a household member and a 2019 conviction for aggravated fleeing of a law enforcement officer.
No trial dates have been scheduled for either case, as of this writing, and Martinez remained in custody at SMCDC.
