Man arrested in Cortez on suspicion of drug trafficking – The Durango Herald

The man's vehicle was littered with traces of drugs and paraphernalia

A man arrested after a routine traffic stop May 25 faces drug trafficking and possession charges after Cortez police found nearly an ounce of methamphetamine and various drug paraphernalia in his car.

Officer Vance Carver said he initiated the traffic stop around 9:29 p.m. while driving east on Main and Ash streets after confirming with the dispatcher that the 2003 Volkswagen Jetta in front of him was not not registered.

After the vehicle slowly stopped, Carver identified the driver as Jacob Aaron Ortiz, who has previous interactions with law enforcement.

Most recently, Ortiz was arrested on February 10 after he and Brett Robsion were suspected of transporting stolen items to a property in Pleasant View. Ortiz was also found in possession of an illegal handgun and illegal substances during another arrest.

Carver said there was money in the car, as well as several “99” rifles on the floor of the Jetta, but he noted that upon first observation he could not decipher whether they had been open.

He said a piece of clear plastic was also on the vehicle's center console and a white residue that appeared to be methamphetamine was on the lid.

“When I first talked to Jacob, he was on the phone, looking at the title of the vehicle, saying he was trying to get insurance just now,” Carver said.

After telling Ortiz to get out of the vehicle, Carver said Ortiz was “verbally noncompliant,” taking his time rolling up the window before getting out of the car.

“The windows were so dark I couldn't see inside, and he didn't get out of the vehicle as soon as he rolled the window up,” Carver said in his report.

After Ortiz finally exited the vehicle, Carver requested a cover unit and told Ortiz to sit in the back of the vehicle while he conducted his investigation.

Looking into the vehicle after other officers arrived, Carver said he found a clear “pinkish” glass pipe with a light bulb under the front seat, which usually means a meth pipe.

After recovering the pipe, Ortiz searched Ortiz, believing he was in possession of drug paraphernalia or illegal drugs.

In Ortiz's right pocket, Carver discovered a “large” baggie containing a white crystalline substance that Carver believed was methamphetamine.

“The bags clearly exceeded a criminal quantity of methamphetamine,” Carver said.

In the car, Carver also found $181 in cash, a baggie with other suspected drugs inside, four suspected methamphetamine pipes, an overflow straw and a Colorado EBT card belonging to Richard Bowling.

Ortiz's vehicle was towed by Mancos Towing to their towing lot, and Ortiz was taken to the Cortez Police Department.

At the police department, the suspected methamphetamine weighed approximately 26 grams (nearly an ounce). The substance also tested “presumptive positive for the presence of methamphetamine.”

The other bag contained marijuana.

“Twenty-six grams of meth is almost an ounce. Based on my training and experience, this is not an amount of drug consumed. Jacob had $181 in cash in various denominations. The money was scattered in different locations, which was normal for someone selling drugs and placing the money in different locations after different sales. The piece of plastic appears to have been used to cut the drugs into smaller quantities,” Carver said.

Ortiz has a prior misdemeanor conviction for possession of a controlled substance.

Ortiz was left in the custody of jail staff at the Montezuma County Detention Center. He was charged with unlawful distribution, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, operating an uninsured motor vehicle and displaying expired license plates.

Ortiz will appear in 22nd Judicial District Court for his return of charges on Tuesday, June 11 at 1:30 p.m.

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