New Mexico State Police officers charged a Santa Fe man with trafficking fentanyl after finding a suspected 15 grams on him following a traffic stop for speeding.
State Police Officer Oshane Greene charged Daniel Roybal, 40, with trafficking by possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine, on May 12.
Greene wrote in a criminal complaint that he clocked Roybal going 37 in a 25 mph zone on McCurdy Road. He pulled him over and saw a black pistol holder on the driver’s side floorboard. While Roybal said he didn’t have any weapons, Greene ordered him out of the car because he “appeared more nervous than usual individuals when they are pulled over by law enforcement.”
Greene didn’t write what specifics made it look like Roybal was “more nervous” than others.
As he was getting out of the car, Roybal allegedly pulled something from his pocket and put it in the driver’s side door, he wrote.
Roybal allegedly told Greene he had methamphetamine in his right front pocket and gave the officer permission to search him. Greene arrested him, then searched his car. In the car, he found a 15-gram bag of white powder he believed to be fentanyl, leading to the trafficking charge, Greene wrote.
According to the federal Drug Enforcement Agency, 2 mg of pure fentanyl can be a lethal dose.
Rio Arriba Magistrate Judge Joseph Madrid ordered him released on his own recognizance on May 13. A preliminary examination is set for July 30.