Laguna Niguel : Three Men Arrested on Cocaine Charges

Police said three men were arrested on drug-related charges at a shopping center after allegedly selling 15 pounds of cocaine with an estimated street value of $650,000 to undercover narcotics officers.

Arrested around 3 p.m. Thursday were Albert Saavedra, 28, a native of Colombia, and Rolland Shook, 29, and Joseph C. Weeks, 29, both of Lake Elsinore. They were charged with conspiracy to sell cocaine, sale of cocaine and possession of narcotics, Laguna Beach Police Lt. William Cavenaugh said.

All three are being held at the Orange County Central Jail in lieu of bail ranging from $250,000 to $1 million, Cavenaugh said. An arraignment date has not been set.

The Thursday arrests, at a shopping complex on Alicia Parkway, ended an investigation started Feb. 2 when narcotics officers arrested five men on similar charges at a Laguna Niguel motel, Cavenaugh said. At that time, police confiscated 4 1/2 pounds of cocaine worth $200,000.

Four of those men, held in custody in lieu of $100,000 bail each, are scheduled for trial on the drug charges in Orange County Superior Court.

The four, all identified as Mexican nationals, were listed as Geromimo G. Nunez, 21; Armando G. Galvez, 20; Rigoberto Sanchez, 23, and Jose Sanchez, 29. A fifth man later was released because of insufficient evidence, officials said.