Four suspected cocaine dealers have been arrested this week in the small town of El Jebel, where authorities recovered 93 grams of the drug in four days.
“It’s just supply and demand,” said Shannon Cordingly, Eagle County sheriff’s spokeswoman, of the recent arrests.
On Thursday, narcotics detectives arrested a teen boy who was found with 17 grams of cocaine, the Sheriff’s Office said.
The juvenile has been charged with possession and distribution of a controlled substance for an amount of cocaine valued at about $1,300, according to investigators.
The teen, who was not named, has been released to a family member.
On Wednesday, 21-year-old Gustavo Gonzales of Glenwood Springs was also arrested in El Jebel, a town of about 4,500 people on Colorado 82 that is about 19 miles southeast of Glenwood Springs.
Gonzales was found with 29 grams of the drug worth an estimated $1,500, the Sheriff’s Office said. Arrested on suspicion of possession and distribution of cocaine, Gonzales is being held at Eagle County Jail on a $50,000 bond.
Authorities suspect Gonzales of being in the U.S. illegally and an Immigration and Customs Enforcement hold has been attached to the drug case, the Sheriff’s Office said.
On Monday, David Hernandez Castro, 39, and Audencio Hernandez Paniagua, 33, both of Glenwood Springs, were arrested in El Jebel on suspicion of cocaine possession and distribution. Authorities say the men had 47 grams of the drug, worth an estimated $5,000. They are being held on a $50,000 bond each. Both also have ICE holds attached to their case.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com
