Dozens of Cochise County residents have been summoned for possible jury duty Tuesday in a case involving a New Mexico man accused of engaging in transportation of cocaine valued at nearly $200,000.
Leobardo Alvarado was indicted in May on two felonies connected to the transportation of a narcotic drug for sale. The drugs in question were found in six bundles concealed in the radiator of a Chevrolet Avalanche pulled over by a Douglas police officer on May 7 for suspicion of a suspended license plate.
Alvarado, 32, was a passenger in the vehicle driven by Michelle Ashley Cheama, also of New Mexico. He was offered a plea agreement during a final pretrial hearing on Nov. 2, but rejected the deal. Afterward, Judge Laura Cardinal of the Cochise County Superior Court conducted a Donald Hearing to ensure Alvarado understands the sentence he faces if convicted of both charges at trial.
That decision will be made by an eight-person jury to be empaneled Tuesday. The trial is slated to continue through Friday, with Douglas PD Officer Alexis Fragoso and Sgt. Mike Lomeli expected to testify, along with a DPS crime lab specialist.
Court records show Cheama, 31, was driving near the U.S. / Mexico border around 1 p.m. on May 7 when Fragoso conducted a traffic stop. In addition to Alvarado, there were two other male passengers.
After receiving conflicting information from the occupants, officers obtained Cheama’s consent for a search of the vehicle registered to her. A K-9 unit from the federal Port of Entry in Douglas was requested to do an air sniff of the vehicle.
“The K-9 from Customs and Border Protection alerted positive to the front end of the vehicle by the radiator, front driver and passenger seat, center console and rear seat,” Fragoso wrote in a probable cause statement. “The K-9 also alerted to a bag which had been in Michelle’s possession, which is where 14,170 dollars were located.”
The bundles were found in the radiator which had been modified. One bundle was opened and found to contain a white powdery substance which field tested positive for cocaine. Subsequent crime lab testing confirmed that identification.
The total weight for the bundles was about 14.7 pounds, which had an approximate street value of $196,000, Fragoso noted.
According to Fragoso’s probable cause statement, Alvarado was advised of his Miranda Rights at which time he initially denied any knowledge of the drugs. His story purportedly changed before the interview was over.
“Leobardo eventually admitted to having the Avalanche taken by [an] unknown subject,” the statement reads. “The Avalanche was later returned and Leobardo would be notified on where to go. Leobardo stated he would be paid $8,000 upon delivery of the drugs.”
Officers also learned Alvarado was supposed to deliver Cheama’s Avalanche to an address in Albuquerque, although he claimed to not know where the cocaine was hidden in the vehicle. The probable cause statement notes Alvardo’s post-Miranda statement also included admissions to delivering drug loads to St. Louis and Detroit, as well as somewhere in New Jersey.
Alvarado further stated that Cheama would drive him around the country because he did not have a valid driver’s license. Although Cheama would not be present when the drugs were delivered, she “had knowledge of the contraband,” according to his statement.
Cheama was sentenced by Cardinal in September to a three-year prison term after pleading guilty to the offense of “transport for sale, import into this state, offer to transport for sale or import into this state, sell, transfer or offer to sell or transfer a narcotic drug.” She was given credit at sentencing for 101 days spent in custody awaiting resolution of her case.
Publicly available court records do not show whether Cheama will be called as a witness for Alvarado’s trial. Terisha Driggs of the Cochise County Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. Alvarado is represented by Joshua Jones, a deputy legal advocate for Cochise County.