A Carbondale man who allegedly sold nearly 19 ounces of cocaine to an undercover police officer was arrested earlier this month and is charged with three felonies.
Manuel Cruz-Sanchez, 25, was arrested May 17 on Glen Avenue in south Glenwood Springs after selling 525.6 grams of the drug, said Terry Wilson, Glenwood Springs police chief.
The multi-jurisdictional Two Rivers Drug Enforcement Team (TRIDENT) began investigating Cruz-Sanchez in March, Wilson said in a press release. He is also board chairman of TRIDENT.
Wilson declined to discuss details of the investigation, including how authorities discovered that Cruz-Sanchez was “distributing substantial quantities of cocaine.”
“I can’t get into that right now,” Wilson said.
Between March and his arrest, undercover officers bought cocaine from Cruz-Sanchez five times, the press release says. Cruz-Sanchez lives in the 30 block of Crystal Circle in Carbondale.
After the last sale, TRIDENT officers obtained an arrest warrant and Cruz-Sanchez was taken into custody without incident at the scene of the transaction.
Cruz-Sanchez, who has been in Garfield County Jail on a $50,000 bond since his arrest, is charged with distribution of a controlled substance, possession with intent to distribute and simple possession.
He is due back in court Wednesday.
chad@aspendailynews.com
