Shoplifting call at Rio Rancho Walgreens leads to drug, ID theft arrests

A shoplifting call at the Walgreens at 4051 Southern Blvd SE in Rio Rancho turned into a broader case involving alleged drug possession, fake identification and possible credit-card theft, a reminder of how quickly a retail-theft stop can expose deeper risks for pharmacy workers and shoppers.

Store employees called police after noticing two women they believed were shoplifting at the Walgreens on NM 528 and Southern Boulevard. Rio Rancho police arrested Monica Montoya, 40, of Belen, and Monica White, 47, of Rio Rancho, on April 23, 2026, according to criminal complaints and Sandoval County booking data. The Rio Rancho Police Department is the city’s law-enforcement agency.

Police said White’s vehicle had drug paraphernalia in plain view. During a search of her purse, officers reportedly found smoking straws, foil and a butane torch. The complaint also alleges officers found fake identification cards in the purse, including an Oklahoma driver’s license, a USPS ID and an Army ID, and that White admitted making the cards herself.

Investigators further alleged they found a substance believed to be fentanyl and credit cards belonging to other people in White’s car. Additional searches at the detention center reportedly turned up methamphetamine and fentanyl on White. Montoya, who was also detained at the Walgreens, allegedly had an arrest warrant and was later found with a crystal-like substance believed to be methamphetamine during a search at the detention center.

The arrest-records roundup listed White on two counts of possession of a controlled substance, dealing in credit cards of another, three counts of altering or forging a license and bringing contraband into jail. Montoya was listed on two counts of possession of a controlled substance and bringing contraband into jail. White could face up to 10 years if convicted on the forgery, controlled-substance and credit-card related counts, while Montoya could face up to five years on the possession and contraband counts.

The case lands in a busy commercial corridor that many Rio Rancho residents know well, and it fits a pattern that has shown up in local arrest logs. Another Walgreens shoplifting-related summons appeared in the Observer’s April 27 to May 3 arrest records, suggesting the region’s pharmacies remain a pressure point for theft, fraud and drug-related offenses. New Mexico courts keep public-record resources that can be used to track later filings, court dates and case outcomes as the case moves forward.