Three men accused of stealing mail and possessing drugs and a firearm pleaded not guilty Tuesday to nine criminal allegations stemming from an October traffic stop.
Enrique Orozco, 48; Brando Maximiliano Perez-Pena, 27; and Elmer Cante-Pocasangre, 35, appeared in court with their attorneys and a Spanish-language interpreter. A trial is to begin on March 31.
The trio was arrested in late October after a Douglas County deputy conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle with expired registration.
According to the arrest report, the deputy observed that the occupants appeared nervous and gave inconsistent accounts during the stop. The deputy then searched the vehicle.
During the search, deputies allegedly located 24.27 grams of cocaine and several smaller baggies believed to contain methamphetamine. Authorities also reported finding a 9mm handgun and a six-foot-long flat rope device wrapped in duct tape and weighted on one end with a sticky mouse trap, a tool commonly associated with mail theft, sometimes referred to as “mailbox fishing.”
Investigators also reported discovering multiple opened pieces of mail belonging to residents in Lyon, Washoe, and Carson City counties.
Among the items seized were 147 checks allegedly altered to include Orozco’s name, a checkbook labeled “Fuentes Enterprises,” and 16 completed checks, 15 written for $2,200 each and one for $2,800. Authorities said the total value of the checks was nearly $150,000.
All three men were arrested and booked into the Minden jail.
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