Bella Vista Man Charged Over Buried Cocaine

Forty-year-old Roman Gamboa was arrested and charged on Thursday after he was caught red-handed burying crack cocaine in an open lot in Bella Vista. The area had been under police surveillance since a wave of drug-related violence last year.

According to ASP Stacy Smith, the arresting officer spotted Gamboa digging in the soil. When officers moved in, he tried to walk off and tossed a plastic bag.

“That plastic was retrieved, and it was observed to contain fifteen small foils, aluminium foils, each containing suspected crack cocaine,” Smith reported. Officers then took Gamboa back to the exact spot where he’d been digging. Ten feet away, they found fifteen more foils buried in the ground.

Gamboa now faces two counts of possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply, which included the 2.92 grams and 3.44 grams of suspected crack cocaine.