PETERSBURG (2012-01-13) Petersburg police have arrested a man who, they say, received a package of heroin and methamphetamine in the mail. Sergeant Heidi Agner says she arrested 37-year-old Juan Carlos Murillo-Garcia without incident at his North Nordic residence today (Tuesday).
Agner says she contacted Murillo-Garcia last Friday when he allegedly picked up the package at the post office. “I had a tip that he might be receiving drugs,” She said.
Agner says Murillo-Garcia agreed to let her open the parcel and she found common, inexpensive items that probably cost about the same as the postage to send them. So, she says she seized the package and applied for a search warrant to open the items inside. She alleges that she found the 4 ounces of heroin and 2 ounces of methampetamine inside a container marked “bullion cubes.”
Murillo-Garcia has been charged with misconduct involving a controlled substance in the fourth degree, which is drug possession, but Agner says the investigation is continuing. She says he has denied knowledge of the drugs. He has not yet entered a plea in court.
He’s being held in Petersburg’s jail on 50 thousand dollars bail. Agner says police also notified the Federal Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement after learning there was a warrant for Murillo-Garcia’s deportation to Mexico.
Agner credits the public for providing information that lead to the seizure and arrest.
On announcing this drug seizure earlier in the week, Petersburg Police Chief Jim Agner said it was part of a broader investigation by local, state and federal authorities into what he alleged was a criminal syndicate with ties to organized crime inside and outside of the US.
