On Thursday March 13, 2014, at approximately 1:00 a.m., a Cochise County Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop at mile post 297 on Highway 80 in Benson. The blue 2004 Ford station wagon was traveling too slowly on the highway and did not have a visible license plate.
Deputies advised that the occupants of the vehicle were acting nervous, and they were asked to exit the vehicle for officer safety concerns. One of the occupants, Victor Campoy, refused to exit the vehicle, stating that he was too tired; however, deputies were able to get him to exit the vehicle without any further incident.
As deputies were speaking to the four occupants, Deputy K-9 Nobe and Deputy Callahan-English conducted an exterior air sniff of the vehicle when Nobe alerted to the driver side of the vehicle. Deputy K-9 Nobe is trained and certified to detect the odor of controlled substances, including Marijuana, Cocaine, Heroin, and Methamphetamine, and the alert indicated that at least one of these substances were contained within the vehicle.
A search was done on the interior of the vehicle, where a very small amount of a white substance consistent with methamphetamine was located in the console area and on property that was claimed by Victor Campoy. There were two new smoking pipes in the back seat of the vehicle, and a piece of white plastic was shoved in the seat cushion of the back seat with residue consistent with methamphetamine. As the search concluded, deputies discovered a bag of white powdery substance that had been placed on the top of a tire on one of the patrol vehicles by where the subjects had been standing.
As Deputies were conducting interviews with the subjects, it was discovered that Lorena Valencia had an outstanding warrant for her arrest for a Shoplifting charge from Douglas. Valencia was placed into the rear of a patrol vehicle while the investigation was being continued. After Deputies were ready to transfer Valencia to another vehicle to be taken to the Cochise County Detention Center, another bag of white powder substance was observed on the backseat, where she had been sitting. Valencia ultimately stated that the bag had come from her.
As a result of the ensuing investigation, all four subjects listing residences in Douglas were arrested and charged as follows:
47-year-old Lorena Valencia
33-year-old Victor “Snoopy” Campoy Jr
24-year-old Edward Francisco Lugo
35-year-old Melanie Alvarez
Possession of Dangerous Drug (Meth), Possession of drug paraphernalia, Tampering with Physical Evidence, Transportation of Dangerous Drug for Sale, Possession of Dangerous Drug for Sale and an approximate weight of the white substance as 81.6 grams of methamphetamine.
All four subjects were booked into the Cochise County Jail, Willcox Facility, for drug violations. The vehicle was seized and taken to the Bisbee Evidence Yard.
The investigation is being continued by the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office.