NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – A New Mexico man is facing federal drug charges after he was stopped for speeding Monday. New Mexico State Police stopped Michael Diego “Gustavo” Sena traveling eastbound on I-40 just west of Route 66 Casino.
According to a criminal complaint, the NMSP officer could smell marijuana coming from the passenger side window as they approached. When the officer spoke to Sena in the driver seat, Sena said he was heading to Rio Rancho after staying two days in Gallup. Sena’s passenger, Dolores Sena, told the officer the two had been on vacation in Phoenix for two weeks.
The marijuana smell and conflicting stories from the two Senas prompted a search of the silver Subaru Legacy Sena was driving. The search revealed two black Glock pistols and a clear extended magazine from the trunk. The officer also found a red duffel bag with clear plastic bags inside containing blue circular pills with “M-30” etched on them. Twenty-four bags were labeled “5,000” and the four remaining. A package shaped like a cylinder was also found wrapped in plastic in the red duffel bag. Both Michael and Dolores were taken to the Albuquerque Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) office to be processed.
A special agent at HSI weighed and tested the pills, which were found to be fentanyl. The cylinder-shaped package tested positive for heroin. A jar of marijuana was also found in the trunk of the car.
Michael would later tell police he went to Glendale, Arizona, and picked up 160,000 fentanyl pills and one kilogram of heroin. He also said he purchased guns in Glendale. Sena said the drugs were going to be distributed to multiple people in Santa Fe. He said this was the third trip he’s made to Arizona to pick up drugs and he was being paid $20,000 to transport the fentanyl.
Sena had his first appearance in federal court on Wednesday, July 12.
