WICHITA, KAN. – A New Mexico woman who spent two years on the run is back in Kansas to face a charge of possessing 160 pounds of marijuana, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.

Norma Quintana, 47, Albuquerque, N.M., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana and one count of failure to appear in federal court on the drug charge.

Quintana initially was charged in March 2010 after she and her husband, Hector Hernandez-Valdez, were arrested during a traffic stop on a highway near Pratt, Kan. After she was released on bond, Quintana failed to show up for any further hearings in the case.

This week, a judge granted prosecutors’ motion to dismiss the charges against her husband. Hector Hernandez-Valdez was murdered in Mexico while he was a fugitive in the case.

If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $1 million on the marijuana charge, and a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the other count. The Kansas Highway Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.

OTHER INDICTMENTS

Michael L. Griffith, 57, Kansas City, Kan., is charged with passing counterfeit $50 bills. The crime is alleged to have occurred June 11, 2012, in Wichita.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The U.S. Secret Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger is prosecuting.

Adan Gonzalez-Bello, 30, a citizen of Mexico who has been living in Wichita, is charged with unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported. He was found July 11, 2012, in Wichita.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of two years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000. ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.

Adam Flores, 27, Dodge City, Kan., is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction. The crime is alleged to have occurred Feb. 22, 2012, in Ford County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Smith is prosecuting.

In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.

 

 

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