Federal drug bust

  • Around 3:50 p.m. on June 7 Grants Police Department executed a federal arrest warrant on Jesse Burke. Grants Police Department has seen disruption in the movement of drugs in the city since they began working to intercept Burke. They see that disruption as a direct result of their efforts to keep street crime and narcotics down. Diego Lopez - CC
    Around 3:50 p.m. on June 7 Grants Police Department executed a federal arrest warrant on Jesse Burke. Grants Police Department has seen disruption in the movement of drugs in the city since they began working to intercept Burke. They see that disruption as a direct result of their efforts to keep street crime and narcotics down. Diego Lopez - CC

    CITY OF GRANTS, N.M. – After a year long investigation that spanned the assistance of multiple agencies, Grants Police Department received a federal arrest warrant and served it on June 7, arresting Jesse Burke of Grants.

    The Grants Police Department’s Street Crimes Unit has been operating for around one year, with the primary purpose of tackling high crime areas of the city, and narcotics trafficking. The division’s officers are narcotics agents and take time to compile all of the information they need to make a strong case and keep the streets clean.

    The Street Crimes Unit was operating on the East side of Grants near the hotels about one year ago, where they were following leads to a potential methamphetamine trafficker. The unit initiated a traffic stop on Burke, received a warrant to search the vehicle, and found “a substantial amount of methamphetamine inside, enough to contact the [Drug Enforcement Administration],” according to GPD Lieutenant Jeff Marez.

    Burke was allowed to remain on the streets but was being monitored the entire time while GPD and the federal agents worked together to build a strong case, Marez said that last month Burke was indicted on federal drug trafficking charges and the department received a federal arrest warrant on June 7.

    In the afternoon on June 7, the Street Crimes Unit made their move. Burke was at Surestay Hotel on the East side of Grants, as he was leaving the hotel, turning on to Santa Fe Avenue, the unit initiated a traffic stop at the intersection of Naomi Rd. and Santa Fe Ave.

    GPD and Cibola County Sheriff’s Deputies moved quickly to apprehend Burke.

    As more information becomes available, the Cibola Citizen will update this story.

    Lt. Marez said that when Burke was first apprehended and the methamphetamine seized, there was a huge disruption to the flow of drugs across the city. There have been similar disruptions to the flow of drugs across Cibola, in 2019 Milan Police Department made a similar federal arrest which stymied the flow of drugs to the community.

    Lt. Marez said that he recognizes this investigation took a while to gather all of the information necessary for a solid case, he explained that the wheels of justice might grind slowly, but the Grants Police Department will never stop protecting the community.

    “This is cartel related,” the lieutenant said when asked where these drugs are coming from, “We know there are people who will want to step up to the plate. We know who you are.”