Routine stop leads to 5 arrests

Authorities arrested five people and seized drugs and a large collection of weapons, including a semi-automatic rifle and swords, following a routine traffic stop Friday.

The arrests and seizures were made after an officer with the Cocopah Tribal Police Department stopped an unspecified vehicle for an alleged traffic violation at about 12:22 a.m. on Highway 95 near Cocopah Casino, according to a news statement from the department. The officer became suspicious after speaking with the two occupants, 19-year-old Juan Marguez-Parra and 19-year-old Jordi Sosa.

The officer then used a drug detection dog to search the vehicle. Upon inspection, the dog indicated the possible presence of contraband. The officer then allegedly discovered 4.2 ounces of methamphetamine inside the vehicle, and arrested Marguez-Parra and Sosa, police stated.

The men were booked into the Yuma County Detention Center and each face possible felony charges of possession of dangerous drugs, possession of drugs for sale, and transportation and importation of dangerous drugs.

Later on Friday, the Cocopah Tribal Police Department obtained a warrant to search the men's residence located near the Yuma city limits. The exact address of the home was not disclosed. Police raided the home with the assistance of Border Patrol agents.

During the search, the officers and agents allegedly discovered another 2.7 ounces of methamphetamine, a small amount of marijuana, prescription pills and drug paraphernalia including syringes, meth pipes, marijuana pipes and a weight scale.

In addition, a large collection of knives, machetes and swords were seized along with several firearms and ammunition rounds. The firearms included a .22 caliber revolver, a sawed-off .22 caliber rifle, a 7.62 mm Soviet-made SKS semi-automatic rifle and a 12-gauge shotgun.

Also seized were several laptop computers, surveillance equipment and communications devices including cell phones and two-way radios.

Three individuals at the residence at the time of the raid, Nicole Welong, Julio Lopez and Daniel Rios, were arrested. Altogether the drugs seized during the two incidents had an estimated combined value of about $16,500.

Chris McDaniel can be reached at cmcdaniel@yumasun.com or 539-6849