Three Arrested in Odessa Drug Bust
By: Jay Plyburn
Updated: December 17, 2010
It was a scary situation for residents living in a certain area of town on Friday morning. They got up to start their day as usual, but when they stepped outside, their homes were surrounded by police officers and members of the SWAT team. Now three people are behind bars, and more arrests could take place any day. We sat down with a resident who lives in that neighborhood to find out what it was like to wake up in the middle of a crime scene.
Students at Reagan Elementary began the school day just like it was any other day. All the while, members of the SWAT team surrounded the area...leaving residents of the neighborhood concerned about what was going on.
"Usually I go outside, sit down, relax a little bit...and I went out there and there was a SWAT truck right out front, and I decided...well it's time to go in the back yard," Ralph John, a nearby neaigbor, said.
He said he saw the officers going in and out of 2101 and 2102 Redbud Avenue. He's never actually met the residents of those homes, but said he sees them all the time.
"They come and go just like normal people. It looks like a parking lot for Kelly Grimsley or Berg Motor Company. That kind of stands out in somebody's mind when they first come over here, but other than that they've been very nice, very quiet," John said.
Officers who searched the home located marijuana, cocaine, and ecstasy along with roughly $37,000. John said the fact that happened on his street doesn't worry him. In fact, he said it's typical in today's society
"It's getting to be a norm. It's just like when I was in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. You had bombings everyday. You just get used to it," John said.
So far, police have arrested three suspects. 50-year-old Alfredo Cortez is charged with possession of ecstasy. 49-year-old Blanca Cortez is charged with possession of ecstasy. And 27-year-old Albert Cortez is charged with possession of ecstasy and marijuana. Authorities say more arrests are possible as their investigation continues. Keep here on Big 2 for the latest updates.
