Groves man indicted in drug charge

Published 12:14 am Saturday, May 29, 2021

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A call of a shooting in January led Groves Police officers to uncover a suspected armed robbery and arrest a man on a drug charge.

Gabriel Alaniz Briseno, 35, of Groves was indicted this week by a Jefferson County grand jury on a charge of possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine, for an incident that occurred Jan. 18.

Police were called to the 2000 block of Owens for a shooting only to find the victim said he was not shot, but shot at by a person with an AK47. The man told police three men with firearms robbed him.

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The investigation led to a set of apartments at 5303 Gulfway Drive in Groves, according to the probable cause affidavit.

While speaking with the tenant of an apartment, the officer noted the smell of marijuana and said he saw a white, powdery substance on an end table next to the door.

Briseno denied officers’ consent to search the residence and a warrant was obtained.

Police said during the search they located drugs that were sent to a lab for testing. The analysis showed that out of the items sent, there was less than one gram of methamphetamine and less than one gram of heroin.

A warrant was issued for Briseno’s arrest but he is not listed as a current jail inmate.

An indictment is not a final conviction of guilt; it is only a ruling by the grand jury that allows the district attorney’s office to proceed with a criminal case.