Pubdate: Fri, 23 Mar 2007
Source: Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO)
Copyright: 2007, Denver Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.rockymountainnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/371
Author: Chris Barge
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin)

BUST MAY STEM BOULDER HEROIN

Deputies believe they have arrested the "primary source" of Boulder's 
surging heroin supply, possibly dismantling an operation that 
contributed to nine overdose deaths there last year.

"It was a nice catch," Sgt. Brian Lindsey of the Boulder County Drug 
Task Force said Thursday.

Boulder police pulled over Rigoberto Lerma-Flores, 22, and Blanca 
Margarita Barrera, 18, on a traffic violation Wednesday after 
undercover detectives following the suspects told police that the 
pair's sport utility vehicle was tied to several drug transactions in 
downtown Boulder.

During the traffic stop near Boulder High School, the suspects were 
arrested and charged with possession with the intent to distribute 
cocaine and heroin.

Officers found 68 balloons and four plastic sandwich bags filled with 
about 17 grams of black tar heroin and Mexican brown powder heroin as 
well as almost 16 grams of cocaine.

The drugs were worth about $3,000. Officers also confiscated a "large 
amount" of cash.

Lerma-Flores told deputies that he had been distributing heroin and 
cocaine in Colorado for more than a year, Lindsey said.

While deputies said it is impossible to tell whether Lerma-Flores 
sold the heroin involved in the city's recent fatal heroin overdoses, 
"The majority of heroin coming to Boulder was from him," Lindsey said.

The arrest is the highlight of an investigation into heroin activity 
that the task force launched in January in response to the heroin 
deaths. Six Boulder County people have died from overdoses of the 
drug since October.

Boulder County saw seven heroin-related deaths in 2005, and four each 
in 2003 and 2004, according to the Boulder County Coroner's Office.

Officials said they hope the development means that the area's heroin 
problems will taper off.

Deputies said Lerma-Flores has admitted that he was the "boss" of 
another man arrested this week as part of the heroin investigation.

On Tuesday police arrested Emanuel Pena-Masiel, 23, after an 
undercover detective recognized him. He was arrested for driving 
without a valid driver's license and for an outstanding warrant from 
the city of Boulder.

With his runner in jail, Lerma-Flores came to town from Colorado 
Springs the next day to distribute the drugs himself, Lindsey said.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman