A vehicle with numerous traffic violations was stopped early Friday morning and as a result, one person was arrested for possession of narcotics and also has an ICE detainer.
An Ector County deputy observed a white Dodge Ram pickup with expired registration make a traffic violation around 11 a.m. Friday while heading westbound in the 11600 block of West University Boulevard, a press release from the Ector County Sheriff’s Office stated.
Deputy Dustin Aldermen stopped the vehicle and could not see inside due to dark window tinting. He knocked on the window several times, but the driver would not respond. Aldermen then opened the door and could smell a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. An open container of whiskey was also seen in the front floorboard, according to the release.
The driver was identified as 33-year-old Bianca Selene Torres-Tamayo.
A search of the vehicle yielded a clear plastic bag containing multiple individually packaged brown bags of a dark "tar like substance" believed to be heroin and weighing in at more than 4 grams. The vehicle showed signs of possibly being used to transport illegal narcotics smuggling, the release states.
Torres-Tamayo was charged with possession of a controlled substance, a second-degree felony, along with an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer due to her immigration status.
Her bond was set at $50,000. As of Monday, she remained in custody.
Two of her family members were also taken into custody by ICE agents due to immigration status and local warrants, according to the sheriff’s office.
