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Saturday, February 06, 2010
Detective, Drug Dealer Heard on FBI Tape
By Vic Vela
Journal Northern Bureau
A Santa Fe cop gave advice to a drug dealer on which types of guns are better for shooting at someone from long range and which weapons produce ballistic evidence that is a "nightmare for detectives" to trace, according to FBI recordings of their conversations.
Santa Fe police Detective Jose Valencia is also heard on the recordings telling the police informant that he would help obtain the guns.
The recorded conversation was played Thursday during an administrative hearing in which Valencia's law enforcement officer certification could be revoked.
Separately, Santa Fe Police Chief Aric Wheeler has recommended Valencia be fired. The termination still has to be acted on by the city manager.
Valencia is accused of agreeing to provide the drug dealer — Maximiliano Gonzales — with a firearm, knowing Gonzales was to use the weapon to commit murder. He also allegedly gave Gonzales descriptions of undercover cops and told Gonzales when drug officers were looking for him.
Valencia and Gonzales have known each other on some level for years, though there was conflicting information as to how well they're acquainted.
An FBI agent and a Santa Fe police captain testified during the hearing that Gonzales' intent to commit murder had to have been understood by Valencia as they talked. The FBI's Nancy Duncan said the "context" of their conversation implied that Gonzales was hoping to get the weapons in order to kill someone.
"I gave the officer every benefit of the doubt until I heard the conversation," Duncan testified.
But attorneys for Valencia noted there's no statement about murder on the recordings. They suggested Valencia could have surmised that Gonzales wanted weapons for self-defense, and said that when Valencia found out the informant was a convicted felon, he ceased further communication with him and notified police supervisors.
Attorney David Foster said Valencia faces "outrageous accusations," and "selected and slanted" evidence has been presented in the form of recordings that do not provide a full picture of their conversations.
The hearing was at the state Department of Public Safety's Law Enforcement Academy in Santa Fe. Academy board director Arthur Ortiz recently recommended that Valencia's police license be revoked. Thursday's proceedings were before a hearing officer who will make a recommendation to the academy board.
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