By Matthew Jackson
Staff Reporter
HUNTSVILLE —
A Huntsville man was arrested Wednesday morning and charged with two narcotics offenses after police located cocaine valued at nearly $1,000 in his home.
Modesto Sanchez Lopez, 58, was arrested at his home in the 400 block of 13th Street shortly before 10 a.m. after police searched his residence and located nearly one ounce of cocaine rolled in a blanket on his bed, along with bottles of Xanax hidden in a clock-radio.
According to Detective Justin Lehman, Sanchez was the subject of a two-month long HPD narcotics investigation that culminated in the search of his home Wednesday.
Lehman said the HPD executed a “knock and talk” at Sanchez’s residence, and asked for consent to search the home. Sanchez consented, and investigators located narcotics in the home a short time later.
The total street value of the narcotics recovered in Sanchez’s home was over $1,000, Lehman said Wednesday, noting that cocaine is a prominent drug in the Huntsville area.
“This town is saturated with cocaine,” Lehman said. “The majority of the cocaine is coming from Colombia and Mexico, so it’s coming from the south up through the United States.”
Lehman also said that due to Sanchez’s status as an illegal immigrant, the HPD has also filed for a detainer with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, requesting that Sanchez be deported after he serves prison time in the United States.
Sanchez was charged with one count of manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance, a first degree felony, and one count of possession of a controlled substance, a class A misdemeanor. If convicted, he could serve up to 99 years in prison.
“These guys have done a fantastic job in getting these drug dealers off the street,” HPD Lt. Jim Barnes said. “Drug dealing leads to a lot of other crimes, and the more dealers we get off the street, the more we can prevent those crimes.”
