A Cortez man faces multiple felony drug charges after he allegedly imported cocaine and steroids from Mexico into Colorado, according to court and police records.
Ryan Lee Buffington pleaded not guilty to the charges Thursday in Montezuma District Court. His trial is set for Oct. 16, with Durango Attorney Katie Whitney representing him.
According to a November 2016 arrest affidavit written by former Cortez Police Department Detective Tom Quinnett, local law enforcement officials received various anonymous tips in summer and fall 2015 that Buffington and several others were crossing the Mexico border to bring narcotics and anabolic steroids to Cortez. Sources also told police that Buffington was promoting steroids at local gyms, according to the affidavit.
In November 2015, local and state law enforcement officials investigated a tip that suggested Buffington and several of his associates were driving to Cortez with cocaine and steroids from Puerto Peñasco, Mexico, according to the affidavit. However, officers were not able to intercept the vehicles.
Following another tip from a confidential source on May 9, 2016, Cortez Police obtained a search warrant for Buffington’s Cortez home, the affidavit states.
Inside, they found and seized cocaine, steroids, drug paraphernalia, firearms, other illegal weapons, cell phones and a fire department radio, according to the affidavit.
On the kitchen counter in the home, police found a digital scale with a white residue all over the top of the scale, according to the affidavit. The substance was presumed to be cocaine after a field test.
Police also found several bags containing a white powdery substance, presumed to be cocaine. The total amount of cocaine found in the residence was about 15.7 grams, according to the affidavit.
Also found in the home were about 15 bottles of different types of steroids, including pills and syringes, the affidavit states. Some of the steroid labels were printed in Spanish; others, in English.
Police also seized various firearms and other weapons from the home and from Buffington’s truck. Weapons included assault rifles, hunting rifles, revolvers, semiautomatic pistols, a switchblade knife and a set of brass knuckles, according to the affidavit.
A homemade silencer was found attached to a Remington rifle in the home, the affidavit states. An agent from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms later determined the device was a flash suppressor, according to the report.
According to a criminal complaint filed by 22nd Judicial District Attorney Will Furse, Buffington faces 10 criminal charges, including seven felonies and three misdemeanors. He has been charged with one felony count of distribution of a controlled substance, one felony count of possession of a controlled substance, one felony count of possession with intent to manufacture or distribute a controlled substance, and one felony count of possession of a dangerous weapon.
He also faces three felony counts as a special offender, which allege that he committed drug felonies under certain circumstances, including while he was in possession of a large quantity of drugs and a deadly weapon, and that he committed the offenses as part of a pattern of criminal drug activity.
Buffington also faces two misdemeanor counts of possession of an illegal weapon and one misdemeanor count of possession of anabolic steroids.
jacobk@the-journal.com
