No signal leads to huge meth bust
Staff writer
An Arizona man arrested with 12 pounds of suspected methamphetamine in a hidden compartment of his vehicle was pulled over for not using a turn signal at the US-50/77 roundabout in Florence.
He now faces up to 17 years in prison for possession of what would amount to 27,000 to 54,000 doses of the illegal stimulant
According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, Trooper Robert Krause pulled over Ramon Maldonado Alfaro, 30, of Glendale, Arizona, on Aug. 27 driving a silver 2010 Honda Accord on US-50.
Krause ran the car’s license plate before pulling Maldonado Alfaro over and learned that he had driven to Kansas the week before and then back to Arizona, and that the car was purchased in July.
Krause approached the car and Maldonado Alfaro showed his driver’s license.
“I could not read the insurance Ramon provided, and he came back to my patrol vehicle to show his insurance on his phone,” Krause wrote in a 48-hour affidavit. “Ramon was extremely nervous and stated he had never been to Kansas prior to this trip. Ramon then said that he was lying.”
Krause asked if Maldonado Alfaro had any drugs in his car, then asked if 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.”
Krause searched Maldonado Alfaro’s car and found a compartment in the trunk that contained six bundles of what was field tested to be meth. Each bundle weighed two pounds.
Maldonado Alfaro refused to answer questions after being read his rights.
He was arrested on suspicion of distribution of meth, possession of meth, and having no drug tax stamp. He was booked into jail in lieu of posting a $150,000 bond.
He made his first appearance in court Thursday, and an attorney was appointed for him. He claimed he was self-employed with an income of $1,500 a month, and that his mother and father are dependant.
His appointed attorney called the court later Thursday and said he had too many cases to defend Maldonado Alfaro.
County attorney Michelle Brown said distribution of more than a kilogram of meth is a Level 1 offense.