Cocaine making resurgence in South Tahoe
By Kathryn Reed
Watching the suspect make his deliveries around South Lake Tahoe, his clientele runs the gamut of residents from moms to construction workers to the seedier elements of town to cooks.
“This guy had established a little network,” Jeff Catchings, commander with South Lake El Dorado Narcotics Enforcement Team, told Lake Tahoe News. “There was no shortage of people waiting to buy from him.”
He is talking about Isidro Roberto Rojas Guzman, 44, of South Lake Tahoe. He was booked into El Dorado County Jail in South Tahoe last week on charges of selling cocaine.
“The amount of cocaine was significant. He probably just got a kilo and was down to 10 ounces or so. He had broken it in grams, eight balls and ounces,” Catchings said.
Although this is Guzman’s first arrest in the city, he has prior arrests for sales of narcotics in other California cities and in Nevada, Catchings said. His family is well known to law enforcement in the area. They get arrested and deported.
“For whatever reason they keep coming back to Tahoe,” Catchings said of the family.
In the 1980s, cocaine was the drug of choice in Tahoe for people selling and using. It’s gaining in popularity again as the price drops below what meth can be bought for on the street.
Catchings said consumption is a big deal locally. When it comes to SLEDNET officers seizing narcotics “cocaine is the highest numbers-wise.”
Thank you SLEDNET! The program mentioned below is a pro-active FREE training being offered to the community to avoid situation such as this. Please read the following announcement and check out the International Crime Free Association website for further information.
Douglas County Sheriff’s and South Lake Tahoe Police Dept. are hosting a FREE luncheon for Multi-family, manufactured housing, hotel, motel, property managers and owners at Pizza Hut-3599 Lake Tahoe Blvd. South Lake Tahoe 1:30-3PM. Highlights of the “Crime Free Multi-Housing Program” will be discussed. Seating limited…. RSVP to Melanie Raulston-Arnold 775-790-6694 or laketahoecrimefreeprograms@msn.com by March 7th
Netflix has a really good National Geographic special called “The Most Dangerous Drug”. The Japanese invented Meth to give to their military. (Think Kamikaze). Follow the story and see exactly how it does irreparable damage.
Good work SLEDNET on your latest achievement!
Our law enforcement, drug detox, medical personnel, and counseling agencies know all to well about the negative impact socially and financially drugs have on our beautiful community. Do your share by “telling” authorities when you see things happening in your neighborhoods. It’s our job collectively to keep our community healthy and safe. Stop expecting others in uniforms to be the cure to these woes. They are working as hard as possible. Also, help to support prevention for our kids. The Drug Store Project is an anti-drug event put on by 40 local and state agencies along with over 150 volunteers on the LTCC campus. It will be held on March 29, 2011 and its lead agency is Tahoe Youth & Family Services. Educating our kids will help to protect them. You can volunteer to be a part of this day by emailing me at lhuard@ymail.com. You can also donate funds to keep this program going by contacting TYFS at 530-541-2445. Don’t keep “wishing” drugs away from out town. Be a part of changing the desire to have them. Thank you to SLEDNET and to all involved. Be careful out there.
He is not listed in “vinelink.com”. Apparently this means he is not in custody at the El Dorado County jail at the present time.