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ESPAnOLA: Officers Accused in Drug Fight

Posted on: Thursday, 29 December 2005, 12:00 CST

By Jason Auslander, The Santa Fe New Mexican, The Santa Fe New Mexican

Dec. 29--Two Espanola police officers are on administrative leave while their department investigates an off-duty incident in which the officers allegedly got into a fight with a man from whom they tried to buy cocaine. Espanola Police Chief Richard Guillen said Wednesday that the officers, James Gallegos and Gabriel Gonzales, had been drinking at the time of the fight. He said the officers later claimed they were conducting an undercover drug buy, but supervisors in the department had no knowledge of any such operation involving the officers. Guillen said his department is conducting a criminal investigation into the incident but no charges have been filed. Gallegos has worked for the police department for more than two years, but Gonzales recently graduated from the police academy and has worked for the Espanola department for about 10 months, Guillen said. The incident occurred about 8 p.m. Tuesday in the parking lot of a hamburger restaurant in Espanola, he said. Police believe the fight started after an argument over who would go with an unidentified man to pick up cocaine, Guillen said.

According to the officers' statements and witness accounts, the officers were trying to buy either $100 or $200 worth of cocaine, Lt. Manuel Trujillo of the Espanola Police Department said. Police were called to the scene by a woman who was in a car with the man who allegedly was to go get the drugs, Trujillo said. Police did not find any drugs, and the unidentified man and woman were not injured, Guillen said. Contact Jason Auslander at 995-3877 or jauslander@sfnewmexican.com.

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Copyright (c) 2005, The Santa Fe New Mexican

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Source: The Santa Fe New Mexican

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