Arrests made after narcotics task force investigates drug smuggling at San Juan County jail
FARMINGTON — Investigators have identified five people accused of conspiring to bring drugs and drug paraphernalia into the county jail. Authorities say one man allegedly smuggled in contraband inside his body.
Shaylynn Blueeyes, 21, Marty Gutierrez, 31, Eric Lucero, 34, Ashley Talamante, 30, and Tristan Wilder, 40, each face a fourth-degree felony count of Conspiracy to Commit Bringing Contraband into a Jail, according to court documents and records.
Gutierrez was charged on Dec. 20, with the remaining four co-defendants charged on Jan. 20, according to court records.
Shellie Patscheck, Wilder’s attorney, and Tyson Quail, Gutierrez’s attorney, declined to comment on their client’s cases. The remaining co-defendants did not have legal representation.
Blueeyes has not been arrested in the investigation as of Feb. 4. Lucero, Talamante and Wilder have court hearings scheduled for Farmington Magistrate Court.
Gutierrez failed to appear for a Jan. 20 court hearing and is wanted by law enforcement.
An agent for the Region II Narcotics Enforcement Task Force was contacted on Dec. 14 regarding an inmate who possibly brought in drugs into the San Juan County Adult Detention Center.
The affidavit includes information from the investigation including multiple pages dedicated to reviewing multiple jail calls involving the defendants.
Investigators believe the five defendants allegedly worked together to help Gutierrez smuggle contraband into the jail, storing the contraband in his rectum.
The charging documents focus on a series of jail calls between Dec. 10 and Dec. 14 as the defendants allegedly tried to coordinate the acquisition of drugs for Gutierrez .
After Gutierrez was released on Dec. 9, Lucero and Wilder are accused of making phone calls on Dec. 10 to help Gutierrez acquire contraband to smuggle back into jail.
Two of those phone calls allegedly involved Wilder calling Talamante, who is accused of helping organize the operation.
After Gutierrez was booked back into jail on Dec. 11, he along with Lucero and Wilder are accused of causing disturbances to be placed in lockdown together.
Gutierrez was placed in a “dry cell” which does not have plumbing in order to prevent inmates from disposing of contraband smuggled into the jail.
The affidavit also details multiple calls placed between Dec. 12 and Dec. 14.
Documents indicate that some of those calls reviewed by investigators show Lucero trying to figure out what’s going on with Gutierrez, as Lucero and Wilder hadn’t met up with him since he booked into the jail on Dec. 11. Two of those phone calls were allegedly made to Blueeyes on Dec. 12, as Lucero and Wilder tried to find a way to speak to Gutierrez.
It was on Dec. 15 that Gutierrez was observed on surveillance video trying to re-insert something into his rectum after passing a stool in the cell, the affidavit states.
Investigators accuse Gutierrez of trying to conceal contraband in his body cavity and taking “extreme measures” to ensure the items were not recovered by jail guards, according to court documents.
Court documents did not include information on what contraband was allegedly retrieved from Gutierrez.
Joshua Kellogg covers breaking news for The Daily Times. He can be reached at 505-564-4627 or via email at jkellogg@daily-times.com.
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This article originally appeared on Farmington Daily Times: Five charged with conspiracy to bring drugs into San Juan County jail
