The Elma Police Department has released information on Social Media today, March 6th, 2023 regarding a bust that an Elma officer was involved in back on February 19, 2023.  They state that the subject that was contacted said that  identified himself as a transient Mexican immigrant with no known ties to Washington State and was currently in the United States on a Work Visa. However, the subject had no identification and his identity was unable to be verified.

Here is more on that story from The Elma Police Department.

During the early morning hours on February 19, 2023, an Elma Police officer was on patrol when he noticed a car parked at the 10th Street Park during closed park hours. The officer made contact with the driver, who was the only occupant, due to the park being closed. The driver claimed he was dropping an unknown person off in the area. No subject was ever seen. The officer noticed a digital scale with a white powdery substance on the floor between the driver’s feet. Upon further investigation, the officer discovered cash and some pills believed to be laced with Fentanyl.

The subject verbally identified himself as a transient Mexican immigrant with no known ties to Washington State, and was currently in the United States on a Work Visa. However, the subject had no identification and his identity was unable to be verified. The subject was booked at the Grays Harbor County Jail on Probable Cause of Possession of a Controlled Substance with the Intent to Deliver. The subject refused to provide consent to a search of the car, and the car was seized as evidence pending the application of a search warrant. The subject was subsequently released by the Grays Harbor Prosecutor’s Office pending additional investigation.

After the subject was released, a search warrant was granted for the car. During the search, the officer located additional cash, thousands of suspected Fentanyl-laced pills, ’dirty 30s’ with a street value close to $10.00 a pill, a plastic baggie of a brown powder-like substance suspected to be Fentanyl, several plastic baggies containing a white crystal-like substance suspected to be Methamphetamine. The suspected Methamphetamine weighed approximately 4 pounds, with a street value of approximately $30,000. Samples of the suspected drug will be sent to the Washington State Crime Lab to confirm the drugs' identity. 

“I am very proud of the work our officers do on a daily basis.” said Chief Susan Shultz, “This is a fine example of due diligence by our officer to get deadly drugs off our streets.” “This is not just a big city problem, it’s everyone’s problem.”