Tony Torrez Held on Drug, Gun Charges After Child Killed in Road Rage

ALBUQUERQUE — Tony Derrick Torrez, 33, of Albuquerque, N.M., is locked up and facing federal time after being arraigned on charges tied to drug trafficking and illegal firearm possession. The case exploded from a tip about a man who allegedly shot and killed a child during a road rage incident on Oct. 21, 2015 — the same day a sprawling drug and weapons haul was uncovered at his residence and vehicles.

According to a federal criminal complaint, police responded to a tip identifying Torrez as the suspect in the fatal shooting and tracking him to a home in Bernalillo County. Surveillance showed Torrez loading items into a Toyota sedan. After a woman drove the Toyota away, police pulled her over. Later the same day, officers stopped a Lexus driven by Torrez himself. Both vehicles were seized and towed to the APD Crime Lab for forensic processing.

The heat turned up when Albuquerque Police executed a state search warrant at Torrez’s residence. Inside, they found shoe boxes stuffed with U.S. currency, marijuana paraphernalia, and a substance believed to be ‘wax’ — a potent THC concentrate. The DEA followed with a federal search, seizing equipment used to process and distribute marijuana, along with documents and items confirming Torrez lived there.

On Oct. 22, 2015, DEA agents oversaw searches of the seized vehicles. The Lexus held a bag of cash and a small amount of marijuana. The Toyota was a war chest: bulk and packaged marijuana, two revolvers, two assault rifles, ammunition, a bulletproof vest, suspected cocaine, and more drug paraphernalia. The total cash seized from the home and Toyota hit $64,000.00.

Torrez was initially charged in October 2015 with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and using firearms in relation to drug trafficking. That escalated to a five-count indictment: possessing marijuana with intent to distribute; maintaining a premises for drug distribution; possession of cocaine, testosterone and its esters; being a drug user in possession of firearms and ammunition; and possessing firearms in connection with a drug trafficking crime — all allegedly committed on Oct. 21, 2015, in Bernalillo County.

If convicted, Torrez faces up to five years for marijuana trafficking, 20 years for maintaining a drug-involved premises, one year for cocaine and steroid possession, and ten years for being a drug user with firearms. A mandatory minimum of five years — consecutive to other sentences — applies if he’s found guilty of using firearms in drug crimes. The case was investigated by the DEA and ATF out of Albuquerque. Charges are accusations; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.