Drug raid suspect arrested, at last

ASPEN Garfield County officers have arrested a fugitive from drug raids at two popular Aspen restaurants.Candido Vergara-Hernandez, 29, was one of 10 suspects arrested in the wake of a six-month DEA sting operation that culminated on Dec. 2, 2005. More than 50 DEA agents and local law enforcement officers joined in the après-ski raids.Vergara-Hernandez was the only suspect not arrested during the raids, according to Aspen police. He was taken into custody last weekend. Court documents allege that Vergara-Hernandez, also known as Eric Vergara, sold cocaine to an undercover DEA agent at Cooper Street Pier on five separate instances. The documents indicate that Vergara-Hernandez sold $40 bindles of cocaine to the undercover agent on June 18 and on four other occasions throughout the summer. Of those previously arrested, seven pleaded guilty, charges were dropped against another, and a jury found one man, Fernando Leal-Ruiz, not guilty. The drug raid at Cooper Street and Little Annie’s Eating House riled Aspen and created community debate over its execution.Vergara-Hernandez faces five counts of selling cocaine and one count of conspiracy to sell cocaine. He is in custody at the Pitkin County Jail on $10,000 bond.Joel Stonington’s e-mail address is jstonington@aspentimes.com