Scottsbluff duo charged with drug conspiracy and weapons offenses

A woman and a man arrested on drug and other offenses following a traffic stop in York County in May now face federal drug and weapons charges.

U.S. Attorney for Nebraska Susan Lehr announced Thursday that a federal grand jury has indicted 39-year-old Sonia Martinez and 36-year-old Andrew Juarez, both of Scottsbluff, on charges of conspiracy to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine and use of a firearm to commit a drug offense.

The indictment states that the drug trafficking conspiracy took place between January 24 and May 9 of this year, and that the weapons offense was committed at the beginning of that period.

According to state court records, a case was underway in Scotts Bluff County involving the couple, involving the WING Drug Task Force, the Tri-Cities Drug Enforcement Team (TRIDENT), the Scottsbluff Police Department, the Scottsbluff Sheriff's Office and the Nebraska State Patrol. They were investigating firearms and methamphetamine trafficking in Scottsbluff, Bridgeport, Sidney, North Platte, Lexington, Hastings, Lincoln and elsewhere.

The warrant application states that on January 24, February 19 and February 25, WING conducted controlled buy transactions in Scottsbluff in which Martinez sold a total of just over 333 grams of meth, including packaging, with Juarez present at all three locations where the transactions occurred. The deponent also said that during the first controlled buy, the pair sold three firearms, a pair of .22 caliber Marlin rifles and a .308 caliber Savage rifle.

Court records also indicated additional controlled buys that occurred at a Bridgeport gas station on Jan. 31, in which just over 66.2 grams of methamphetamine were sold, and two drug raids in North Platte on Feb. 10 and March 23, involving nearly 331 grams of meth and a handgun.

On May 5, the two were taken into custody by York County Sheriff's officers after seizing two pounds of meth during a traffic stop that involved the use of a suspicious-feeling sniffer dog. According to the affidavit, an NSP investigator assigned to TRIDENT informed York County investigators that the two had been involved in controlled purchases of methamphetamine and/or firearms in other counties and had visited Mexico in recent months.

The federal conspiracy charge is punishable by a minimum sentence of 15 years to life imprisonment and a fine of $20 million.

If convicted of the weapons offense, they face at least five years to life in prison and a $250,000 fine.