Portales police arrest one for cocaine trafficking

Efrain Castillo-Najera, 24, of Portales was arrested Tuesday by Portales Police for trafficking cocaine, according to a Portales Police report.

After being pulled over for blocked tail lights, Castillo-Najera was detained for being unable to provide sufficient Immigration and Naturalization Service paperwork to officers.

Officers called for a K-9 unit which indicated drugs on the car. After being escorted to the police station to speak with an INS representative, officers obtained a search warrant for the car.

Once towed to the police department, officers conducted a search on Castillo-Najera’s vehicle.

Found in the vehicle was a A&W root beer can which the top had been altered to be unscrewed. Inside the can, officers found several bindles of white powdery substance consistent with cocaine.

Altogether the can contained 38 small bindles and one large plastic bag with two more bindles totaling approximately 29 gross grams.

Police officers, along with the Roosevelt County Drug Task Force had been investigating Castillo-Najera for nearly a week after having been given information the he was possibly involved with the sale of narcotics, according to police reports.

A set of digital scales and a Colt 22 revolver were also found in the search. Castillo-Najera will also be charged with improper tail lights.