Hotel guest arrested on multiple drug charges

MISHAWAKA, Ind. -- A guest at a Mishawaka hotel was arrested on drug charges after police found over 77 grams of methamphetamine in his room, according to court records.

Mishawaka Police were dispatched to the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in Mishawaka for a drug complaint on November 26.

When police arrived, the manager told police she smelled marijuana coming from a second floor room, reports said.

The hotel does not allow smoking in the rooms so they wanted police to assist as they entered the room to ask the occupants to leave, reports said.

When they entered the room, police saw signs of drug use, but no one was inside the room, reports said.

Police obtained a search warrant and conducted a search of the room, reports said.

During the search, officers located a baggie with 77.9 grams of a substance that tested positive for methamphetamine, a substance that tested positive for heroin and two handguns, according to the probable cause affidavit.

Officers located the person who was staying in the room, Alex Jay Euriga, in the Meijer parking lot, reports said.

As officers began to approach Euriga, he tossed a substance behind the Christmas trees, employees told police.

The baggie, which was retrieved by officers, contained 13 grams of methamphetamine, reports said.

When he spoke to police Euriga admitted the drugs and guns in the hotel room were his. He also admitted the baggy found at Meijer was his, according to the probable cause affidavit.

Euriga has been charged with two counts of dealing in methamphetamine, one count of possession of methamphetamine and one count of possession of heroin.

Euriga is scheduled to be arraigned Monday.

UPDATE: In May of 2020, Euriga pleaded guilty to one count of dealing in methamphetamine as part of a plea agreement. His second count of dealing in methamphetamine and two counts of possession of methamphetamine were dismissed. Euriga was sentenced to 10 years at the Indiana Department of Correction.