Serving the High Plains

Pair face felony drug charges after apartment search

Thomas Garcia

QCS Senior Writer

link Tyler Carpenter

link Sara Mack

New Mexico State Police arrested one Tucumcari resident and are searching for a second in connection to apparent methamphetamine manufacturing in their apartment.

Sara Mack, 32, and Tyler Carpenter, 22, are both charged with five felony counts, including trafficking controlled substance by manufacture, tampering with evidence, conspiracy, possession of methamphetamine, and controlled substance prohibited acts. The pair also face two misdemeanor charges of possession of marijuana, one ounce or less, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Mack was arrested on Aug. 22 by New Mexico State Police assisted by Tenth Judicial District investigators after a search of an apartment on the 1400 block of East Route 66 revealed components capable of producing methamphetamine, said Tim Rose, Tenth Judicial District Attorney.

Rose said Carpenter, 22 was arrested for an outstanding warrant out of Santa Rosa, although he made bail on that warrant before a warrant for the manufacturing charge could be served on him. Rose said that currently, officers are actively searching for Carpenter.

Rose said Investigator Frankie Gutierrez informed the State Police that the district attorney's office had received information about two individuals who were purchasing quantities of a controlled substance containing pseudoephedrine from local pharmacies.

According to court documents:

Mack and Carpenter had purchased more than 14 grams of pseudoephedrine from local pharmacies in a month. (A typical tablet of Sudafed Congestion, in which a form of pseudoephedrine is the active ingredient, contains 30 mg of pseudoephedrine, according to Sudafed’s website. It would take 467 tablets of Sudafed Congestion to produce 14 grams of the active ingredient.)

Gutierrez and State Police Criminal Investigation Agent Chester Bobbitt, checked the pseudoephedrine sales log from the pharmacies and match the two suspects names to several purchases

Agent Patrick Bucksath and Gutierrez learned on Aug. 20 that Carpenter had a valid warrant out of Santa Rosa. Carpenter was located at his apartment on the 1400 block of East Route 66 and arrested for that warrant. The manager of the apartments told the officers that a woman shared the apartment with Carpenter.Bucksath and Gutierrez knocked on the door of the apartment, a female later identified as Mack opened the door and said she and Carpenter lived there. Mack agreed to speak with Bucksath about the concerns over the purchase of the pseudoephedrine.

Mack told officers she only knew of some marijuana and a pipe that belonged to Carpenter being in the apartment. Mack agreed to leave the apartment until the officers could secure a search warrant.

Bucksath said he was informed that the apartment manager had seen Mack taking trash to a dumpster a couple hours prior to the agents’ arrival. Bucksath located empty blister packs and boxes of over-the-counter pills in a white trash bag.

Located in the residence were several items of paraphernalia and substances that tested positive to be methamphetamine and marijuana. Agents searched the dumpster and located remnants and components of pseudoephedrine extraction and receipts from stores located in Clovis for the purchase of decongestant medicine containing pseudoephedrine linked to Mack and Carpenter.

Mack remains in the Quay County Detention Center on a $100,000 bond.

“This bust was the product of members of our community actively assisting in cleaning up the meth problem by reporting suspicious activity,” Rose said. “I encourage our community members to keep providing information to our office and local police agencies. We are making progress in our anti-meth efforts.”