Members of a drug enforcement task force that includes a federal agent arrested two men Thursday on Highway 82 east of Aspen and found a large amount of heroin and two handguns in the car, according to an official and allegations in court documents.
Jose Luis Solario Gomez, 23, of Rifle and Robert Rivas, 37, of Basalt were each charged with distribution of heroin, possession of heroin and methamphetamine, and several other charges. Rivas, who was previously convicted of an unspecified felony, also was charged with possession of a weapon by a previous offender.
Alex Burchetta, Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office director of operations, said members of the Trident Two Rivers Drug Enforcement Team contacted him Thursday and requested assistance with a traffic stop about 8:45 p.m. east of town near the Northstar Nature Preserve.
After the men were pulled over, both gave police false names, according to allegations in an arrest warrant affidavit filed in Pitkin County District Court. Rivas gave police the name of a registered sex offender in Rifle.
Rivas, who was wearing two firearm holsters on his belt, told police there was a gun underneath the driver’s seat of the car.
After searching the vehicle, police found a plastic container with a hidden compartment at the bottom that held 175 grams of suspected heroin wrapped in six bundles, according to the affidavit. They also found 2.9 grams of methamphetamine, hypodermic needles, digital scales, a glass pipe with white residue, burnt aluminum foil with residue, three cellphones, a stainless steel semi-automatic handgun and a box of ammunition, the affidavit states.
In addition, a Pitkin County sergeant who transported Solario Gomez to the Pitkin County Jail found a baggie containing a white crystalline substance and another baggie with a sticky brown substance suspected to be heroin in the backseat of his patrol car, according to the affidavit.