NEWS
Albuquerque defense attorney arrested, charged with trying to smuggle narcotics into prison
Cibola County corrections officer reportedly found suboxone strips in eyeglass case
Published
A longtime Albuquerque criminal defense attorney is facing a felony charge for allegedly trying to bring a narcotic that treats addiction into the Cibola County Correctional Center near Grants on Wednesday.
Brian Pori, 64, was arrested after a correctional officer searched his belongings during a routine search at the prison visitor center, where Pori planned to see a client, court records show.
After Pori had set down an eyeglass case for the search, the correctional officer discovered suboxone strips in the inner lining of the case, records show. The criminal complaint didn’t say how many strips were found.
Police from the village of Milan were called, and Milan police officer Ryan Salazar read Pori his Miranda rights, to which Pori allegedly said, “what if I am an attorney.”
Salazar asked Pori if he wished to speak with him and Pori stated yes.
“He denied all allegations and stated that he wouldn’t even know where to get suboxone,” Salazar’s report stated.
Suboxone is a prescription sublingual film or tablet used to treat opioid addiction by reducing cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
Salazar reported that he “placed Pori under arrest and walked him back into the facility as an inmate.”
The next morning, on Thursday, Pori appeared in state Magistrate Court in Grants, where he was released on a $5,000 unsecured appearance bond. He faces a third-degree charge of bringing contraband into a prison.
Efforts by the Journal to reach Pori for comment Thursday weren’t successful. It wasn’t clear from court records as to whether he had retained an attorney as of Thursday evening.
Pori, a graduate of Yale Law School, has been practicing law in New Mexico for about 28 years. He is a former assistant federal public defender now in private practice.
The correctional center houses Cibola County inmates, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees, and federal defendants for the U.S. Marshals Service.
