By Vic Vela
Albuquerque Journal
SANTA FE, N.M. — A Santa Fe man, who was headed back to jail Wednesday after a Magistrate Court hearing, finds himself in even more trouble after he was caught on tape trying to smuggle a large quantity of drugs into a Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office inmate transport van.
Now police are trying to track down the person who buried eight balloons filled with drugs under a pile of rocks outside the courthouse and used a cigarette ash to mark where the narcotics could be found.
Job Zoller, 35, was among handcuffed inmates who were about to be taken to Santa Fe County jail after their hearings at Magistrate Court. A Santa Fe police video that was distributed to the media Thursday shows Zoller bending over to pick up the drugs and stuffing them under his shirt.
The Santa Fe Police Department, tipped off to the attempt, obtained cooperation from the Sheriff’s Office to give Zoller “a window of opportunity” to grab the drugs, according to Santa Fe police Lt. Louis Carlos.
After picking up the drugs, Zoller is shown on the video starting to walk with the other inmates back to the transport van, when police grabbed him and placed him under arrest.
An officer then asked Zoller whether he had any contraband on him, and Zoller said no.
But the package Zoller was carrying contained balloons filled with drugs that included heroin, cocaine, marijuana, prescription pills and hypodermic needles, according to a Santa Fe police probable cause statement.
Police learned of the drugs being planted through a confidential informant, who said that someone was expected to leave the narcotics outside the courthouse and the location would be “marked with a cigarette’s ash.”
A detective then went to the court, found the ash mark on the wall of the courthouse and located a pile of rocks under the marker, the police report reads.
“Under the pile of rocks was a Ziploc bag containing what was later identified as 8 balloons,” according to the report.
The detective who uncovered the drugs left the package in place and surveillance began.
Police are now working on leads to try to figure out who left the drugs for Zoller, who is not cooperating with their efforts, according to Carlos.
Zoller was in court on charges from July out of Española that include aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and shooting at or from a motor vehicle.
He now also faces two counts each of drug trafficking and distribution of a controlled substance. He was also charged with conspiracy to bring contraband into jail, an attempt to commit that crime, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Copyright 2011 Albuquerque Journal