Drug bust on bus

Complaint: Woman arrested after heroin found strapped to her

A Greyhound bus passenger was arrested Monday after federal agents say they found almost 1½ pounds of heroin strapped to her midsection.

A Greyhound bus passenger was arrested Monday after Albuquerque Drug Enforcement Administration agents say they found almost 1½ pounds of heroin strapped to her midsection.

Alicia Alderete-Sabori, 20, is accused in court records of attempting to traffic the drugs.

Agents say they met a Greyhound bus traveling from Los Angeles to Memphis, Tenn., at Albuquerque’s bus stat ion on First Street about 11 a.m. Monday , according to a criminal c ompl a i nt filed in Metropolitan Court.

Agen ts were doing a rout ine search in which they ask bus passengers questions about where they’re going and ask to search them, according to the DEA’s spokesman for the Albuquerque office, Eduardo Chavez.

“It’s a needle in a haystack,” Chavez said.

Agents asked one of the passengers, later identified as Alderete-Sabori, if they could search her. She agreed.

Agents found 1.43 pounds of heroin wrapped around her torso with an elastic body wrap, according to the complaint.

The complaint doesn’t say if Alderete-Sabori responded to those allegations. Her brother, reached by phone Monday, said he didn’t want to comment until he had talked to Alderete-Sabori.

Alderete- Sabori was charged with possession of heroin with intent to distribute and booked into the county jail on $10,000 bail.

Chavez said it’s not uncommon for people to traff ic drugs through Albuquerque’s transportation systems, as the drugs are moved from California and Arizona to the Midwest and East Coast.

“It becomes a prime point for drugs to get from point A to point B,” Chavez said. “Our hope is to find those people taking advantage of the public transportation center and take them off the street.”