Two Women Arrested in Sale of Drugs

One neighbor described 61-year-old Dorritta Falcon as nearly bedridden, so crippled by a stroke that she had to use a cane or wheelchair during the rare occasions when she came out of her small apartment in La Habra.

So it was in a wheelchair that police took her to jail Friday night after arresting her on suspicion of running what they described as the drug-dealing equivalent of a neighborhood convenience store.

Falcon’s apartment is in the 200 block of South Monte Vista Avenue, an old section of town. Police said $10 to $25 portions of marijuana and methamphetamines were sold from the apartment at such a fast rate that eight buyers appeared as police were arresting Falcon at about 7:30 p.m. The eight buyers--six adults and two juveniles--were cited for possession of marijuana and released.

“I sat there for 15 minutes with a beer,” neighbor Jesse Gomez said, gesturing to his front porch, “and during that time I’d see at least 10 people go in and out, in and out. You can’t park in this neighborhood when that’s going on.”

Another neighbor said it was usual on weekends to see four or five cars idling in the street, their occupants waiting their turn for service.

Police said they seized 5 pounds of marijuana, 48 packets of methamphetamine, a set of scales and some packaging equipment.

They said they also seized $3,722 in cash, not including the $200 that undercover officers made selling to buyers who appeared while they were there.

A companion of Falcon’s who was in the apartment--Vera Gallegos, 28, of La Habra--was also arrested, police said. Both women were arrested on suspicion of possession of narcotics for sale and released without bail.

One neighbor said Falcon “seemed to be a nice old lady” who came out of her house “once in a blue moon.”

Described as Friend

Falcon said Gallegos is only a friend who brought dinner to her Friday night as a favor.

But police said an undercover officer, then another, went to Falcon’s apartment door, knocked, asked for drugs and were surprised to be sold some by both women, no questions asked.

“That is really a loose operation,” said Sgt. Perry Miller. “Nickel-and-dime dealing.”

According to neighbors, however, whatever was going on in Falcon’s apartment had been going on for months. “Sometimes it was on and off during the day, but as soon as it got dark, as soon as the street lights came on, traffic got pretty bad,” said one neighbor.

Falcon, back in her apartment Saturday, was getting a permanent wave from a friend and said she didn’t want to talk about the previous night.

She said she lives on Social Security benefits and becauseof her ailments has to be helped to move about.

She gestured toward the two small bedrooms, both in drasticdisarray from the police search, she said. “Look what they didto my house,” she said, wondering how she was going to clean it up.