A local immigration advocate may be extradited to Georgia on federal charges related to a violation of probation for possession of marijuana and intent to distribute from years ago.
Enrique Perez-Orozco is scheduled to appear at 8 a.m. Friday in La Plata County Combined Courts to be advised on charges of fleeing from justice. He was arrested Sunday morning at Smith Field at Fort Lewis College and is being held without bail at the La Plata County Jail, said Lt. Gary Boudreau.
His charges originate from Savannah County, Georgia, where he has been arrested at least twice, once in 2013 by Savannah Police Department and again in 2015 by a joint law enforcement task force called the Chatham-Savannah Narcotics Team, according to the Savannah County Sheriff’s Office. In the 2015 case, Perez-Orozco was arrested for possessing 8 pounds of high-grade marijuana, several ounces of marijuana hash oil and nearly $900 in cash, according to the Savannah Morning News.
Perez-Orozco was on probation for drug-related charges in Georgia, but allegedly violated his probation on suspicion of conspiracy, possession of drug paraphernalia and distribution of “certain drug precursors” in Wabaunsee County, Kansas, Boudreau said.
The 34-year-old immigration advocate has been active in the community, organizing protests of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement outside the La Plata County Courthouse and at the ICE headquarters in Bodo Industrial Park.
He works as a bartender at The Bookcase and Barber in Durango, according to arresting documents.
News of Perez-Orozco’s arrest spread on social media in the past few days, including a GoFundMe site that seeks to raise money for his legal fees and a Facebook event to “Pack the Court” for Perez-Orozco’s court hearing Friday morning. The GoFundMe page, as of Wednesday afternoon, raised $2,643 in one day from 49 people. The fundraiser has been shared on Facebook at least 108 times.
“Enrique is a leader in the effort to ensure that people know their rights and that their rights are respected,” according to the Facebook event. “Everyone who knows Enrique knows that he is a tireless advocate and a true warrior for social justice.”
bhauff@durangoherald.com
