Another suspect has been arrested in the wake of a major cocaine and methamphetamine bust in February by the Blaine County Narcotics Enforcement Team.
Court records identify the suspect as 35-year-old Jose De Jesus Garcia-de Loera. He is being held in the Blaine County jail on $30,000 bond. Jail records show an immigration hold on him, which means that even if bond were posted Garcia-de Loera would be turned over to federal immigration authorities.
Blaine County Sheriff Walt Femling described Garcia-de Loera as "one of the last persons to get arrested out of the drug roundup," which started on Feb. 25.
Garcia-de Loera was arrested March 24 at The Meadows trailer park south of Ketchum. He was charged March 25 in Blaine County Magistrate Court with two counts of delivery of cocaine and one count of possession of the drug.
Four other men arrested in the bust have been charged with drug dealing crimes. Three of them are also believed to be illegal immigrants.
Grand jury indictments
Jail records show immigration holds on Lesdi Gabriel Parra-Quinones, Francisco Llamas-Espino and Jose Alberto Vera-Hidalgo. The assistance of a Spanish-speaking court interpreter was required when the men were arraigned Monday in Blaine County 5th District Court on grand jury indictments of March 11.
Parra-Quinones, 24, is charged with conspiracy to deliver cocaine, delivery or possession of cocaine in the presence of children and with possession of cocaine. He remains incarcerated on $100,000 bond.
Llamas-Espino, 34, is charged with one count of trafficking in cocaine and one count of delivery of cocaine. He remains incarcerated on $125,000 bond.
Vera-Hidalgo, 29, is charged with two counts of delivery of cocaine and one count of possession of the drug. He remains incarcerated on $60,000 bond.
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Judge Robert J. Elgee presided over the arraignments but has been disqualified as presiding judge on motions filed by the Blaine County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. Elgee set scheduling conferences for May 5 for Judge Barry Wood.
The fourth suspect arraigned was 27-year-old Benjamin C. Wagstaff, who is free on $25,000 bond. He is charged by the grand jury with two counts of delivery of methamphetamine and one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver.
Prosecuting Attorney Jim Thomas told the Idaho Mountain Express that his office had filed a disqualification motion against Elgee on the case late Monday afternoon.
Elgee, who had not been disqualified from the Wagstaff case as of Monday's hearing, scheduled a trial for June 17.
Public defender Douglas Werth contends that Thomas' motion was filed too late.
"The state's motion to disqualify should be denied because it was untimely filed by the prosecuting attorney," Werth wrote in a formal objection to Thomas' motion.
Werth cited Idaho Criminal Rule 25, which gives a 14-day window for a "disqualification without cause" motion to be filed after a case is assigned to a judge.
"On March 12, 2009, the prosecuting attorney was served with written notice of an arraignment date before the Honorable Robert J. Elgee," Werth wrote in his objection. "The state's motion to disqualify was not filed until 18 days later and thus was untimely."
Thomas has filed disqualification motions against Elgee on every criminal case to reach district court since last November.
Terry Smith: tsmith@mtexpress.com
Jose De Jesus Garcia-de Loera
