Big meth bust
inmate seeks release
Staff writer
An Arizona man jailed since Aug. 27 for allegedly possessing as many as 54,000 doses of methamphetamine filed suit Monday claiming he is being wrongfully held in jail.
Wichita lawyer Christopher O’Hara filed a writ of habeas corpus on behalf of Ramon Maldonado Alfaro, 30, Glendale, Arizona. The writ claims Maldonado Alfaro is being illegally detained because no criminal charges have been filed.
“We would ask that the state produce why they are holding him without charging him,” his lawyer said.
County attorney Michelle Brown said Monday that charges were filed. On Tuesday, online court records show Maldonado Alfaro charged with unlawful distribution of meth, possession of a controlled substance, traffic of contraband in a penal institution, having no drug tax stamp, and unsafe turning or stopping.
Brown added that a federal grand jury would hear facts about Maldonado Alfaro to possibly indict him next month.
Maldonado Alfaro was arrested by trooper Robert Krause, who pulled him over for not using a turn signal at the US-50/77 roundabout at Florence.
Krause said Maldonado Alfaro was “extremely nervous.”
Krause allegedly asked whether Maldonado Alfaro had any drugs in his car, then asked whether he had any drugs on his person.
“Ramon stated yes and pulled a one-gallon Ziploc bag out of his front pocket,” Krause wrote. “The bag contained approximately five grams of a white/clear crystalline substance that Ramon stated was meth.”
When Krause searched Maldonado Alfaro’s car, he found a compartment in the trunk that contained six bundles of a substance that field tested to be meth. Each bundle weighed two pounds.
Maldonado Alfaro was arrested on suspicion of distribution of meth, possession of meth, and having no drug tax stamp and booked into jail in lieu of posting a $150,000 bond.
A lawyer was appointed for him when he made his first appearance in court the following day. The lawyer called the court later that day and said he had too many cases to defend Maldonado Alfaro.
Distribution of more than a kilogram of meth is a Level 1 offense. Depending on his criminal history, he could be sentenced to as much as 17 years in prison.