A man from Washington has been transported to the Cochise County jail to stand trial on felony drug charges after being arrested in California on a warrant involving the alleged transportation of nearly 85 grams of heroin last year.
Richard Hoyos Neely was booked into the county jail in Bisbee on June 20 where he remains in lieu of a $25,000 bond. He will be back in Cochise County Superior Court on Monday for formal arraignment on three felonies related to the April 2020 seizure of enough heroin for about 850 “points” or individual sales.
Neely, 34, was arrested by the Arizona Department of Public Safety on April 22, 2020 and charged in the Douglas Justice Court with transportation for sale of a narcotic drug and possession of a narcotic drug. The estimated street value of the heroin is between $8,500 and $15,000.
Court records show Neely was released from custody the next month after posting a $10,000 appearance bond. But the Cochise County Attorney’s Office halted the prosecution in June 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions which postponed many court cases and made it difficult for Neely to travel back to Arizona.
Charges against Neely were refiled this March when prosecutor Kristina Guerrero-Sisneroz secured an indictment from a county grand jury for the original two felonies against Neely as well as one for possession of a narcotic drug for sale. The prosecutor then obtained a nationwide arrest warrant for Neely, who was believed to have returned to his home in Federal Way, Washington.
However, Neely was recently taken into custody on the warrant in California. The Cochise County Sheriff’s Office then arranged for a private transport company to deliver Neely to the county jail in Bisbee.
According to a CCSO spokesperson, the cost of the transport was about $4,500. A late 2021 trial date is likely to be set for Neely during his June 28 arraignment.