Man Guilty Under Stiff New Drug Law

A man who sold drugs to an undercover officer at a park in Canoga Park was convicted Wednesday in what prosecutors said was the first case under a new law that sets stiffer penalties for dealing drugs near playgrounds.

A jury convicted Oscar Gutierrez-Rizo, 19, of selling a third of a gram of cocaine at Lanark Recreation Center.

“The officers set up the operation there in response to numerous citizen complaints of narcotics trafficking,” Assistant U.S. Atty. Jimmye Warren said.

Under a federal law passed in 1987, persons convicted of dealing drugs within 100 feet of playgrounds, schoolyards, video arcades, colleges and public pools may receive double the sentence previously imposed, Warren said. Gutierrez faces a maximum of 40 years in prison when sentenced Oct. 2 by U.S. Dist. Judge David V. Kenyon, Warren said.

There have been several convictions for selling drugs near schools, Warren said, but this was the first case involving sales near a playground.