Union leader remains under investigation in alleged drug deal

Jason Auslander | The New Mexican

7/17/2008 - 7/18/08

The head of the city's employee union remains under investigation by a regional, multiagency narcotics task force for allegedly supplying prescription drugs for sale through a middleman, a spokesman said Thursday.

The allegations against Daniel Trujillo, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3999, are not new. However, newly released city documents quote Trujillo's cousin — Leroy Trujillo, who was arrested along with another city employee earlier this year for selling OxyContin to undercover agents — as saying Daniel Trujillo supplied the drug.

"During his May 28, 2008 interview (with a city investigator), Leroy Trujillo acknowledged his role in the sales of the OxyContin tablets, confirmed he was the 'middleman' in the process and identified the source of the OxyContin tablets as his cousin, Daniel Trujillo," according to city documents filed with the Public Employees Labor Relations Board. The documents were filed Wednesday in response to a union petition alleging the city is wrongly investigating Daniel Trujillo.

Further, the city response — written by Assistant City Attorney Mark Allen — also alleges Daniel Trujillo has been prescribed OxyContin for several years after he suffered a work-related injury in July 2003. The drug is paid for by the city's Worker's Compensation Fund and "ultimately the taxpayers," according to the response.

On Thursday, Daniel Trujillo, who has been on paid administrative leave for almost two months from his job as building supervisor at the Genoveva Chavez Community Center, declined to comment on the recent allegations, though he again denied being the OxyContin supplier. "I would never do that," he said. "That's just disgusting."

Leroy Trujillo, 39, and another city employee, Matthew Mares, 22, sold 12 OxyContin pills to undercover drug agents twice in October 2007. Both times, Leroy Trujillo asked for the money for the drugs upfront, then drove to a residence in the 2700 block of Calle Cedro before returning to the drug agents with the pills, according to police reports. Daniel Trujillo has confirmed he lives at the address.

Leroy Trujillo and Mares were arrested in early April and charged with drug trafficking. Both men have since resigned from the city. Leroy Trujillo pleaded guilty to attempted drug trafficking and was sentenced to three years of probation while Mares pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and received the same sentence.

Peter Olson, spokesman for the Region III Narcotics Task Force, said Thursday that Daniel Trujillo remains under investigation by the agency, which is overseen by state police. He said such investigations take time, and detectives must be thorough before charges can be filed.

Contact Jason Auslander at 986-3076 or :jauslander@sfnewmexican.com.