Task Force: Major drug trafficker arrested

MONTROSE — An early evening bust stopped a kilo of cocaine from reaching the streets Friday and landed an alleged "significant trafficker" in jail on a half-million dollar bond.

The Seventh Judicial Drug/Meth Task Force arrested Tomas Naverrette, 36, at a West Main convenience store after he allegedly conducted a transaction with a confidential informant and undercover officer.

"We were able to seize a kilo of cocaine," Agent Jim Fuller of the task force said. "He had been previously ID'd as a significant trafficker in the area. Through a series of meetings and calls, we were able to negotiate a transaction."

Naverrette was also allegedly in possession of $10,000 in cash at the time of his arrest. Fuller said the street value of cocaine is approximately $100 per gram and the value of the drugs involved in the bust — one of the largest in recent memory — stood at $100,000.

The deal went down inside a vehicle at the convenience store at around 6:30 p.m. Friday. Naverrette allegedly participated in the transaction. What he didn't know was that he was under surveillance by the task force, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and local police and sheriff's officers.

Fuller said Naverrette offered little resistance when agents and officers swooped in to arrest him.

"We were able to take him into custody without too much incident. I think it was a shock to him," Fuller said.

Naverrette reportedly made no statement and Fuller said he wasn't cooperative with investigators.

The investigation led the task force to believe that Naverrette frequently bought thousands of dollars worth of drugs.

"As best we can tell, he was buying that on a frequent basis, two or three times a month," Fuller said. "It wasn't just a one-time deal for him."

Fuller alleged Naverrette was selling cocaine, which he'd probably obtained from several sources. "He was getting some from the Denver area. The CI knew he had (allegedly) been selling narcotics in the Montrose area for at least two years."

Naverrette was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to distribute more than 450 grams of a schedule II controlled substance, which is a class-3 felony. He could also be charged as a special offender because of the amount of cocaine the task force alleges was involved.

Investigators also served a warrant on Naverrette's home and surveilled his place of employment. The activities required resources above what the five-member task force could provide.

"Mr. Naverrette is, as best we can tell, an illegal alien," Fuller said of ICE's involvement. "The DEA was there for additional manpower. We had a few moving parts, a couple of locations to watch."

Agents reportedly found paperwork and digital scales at Naverrette's residence.

"We don't think he was keeping narcotics at his residence, but we're hoping to establish he was in the business of cocaine sales," Fuller said.

Though Montrose has a significant methamphetamine problem, he said the arrest underscored the fact that cocaine is enjoying a resurgence.

"Cocaine appears more readily available. It's becoming cheaper," Fuller said. "That's because of our proximity to the Southwest border. They (dealers) are becoming more and more organized in their trafficking areas. There's more of them than there are of us."

A court date for Naverrette was not available Saturday. The case remains under investigation.

— The Daily Press was the first to break this story.