Woman arraigned for trying to flush 13k of heroin down toilet

June 11, 2016 at 12:02a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

A woman who reports said was trying to flush drugs down the toilet of a South Side home Thursday while police were serving a search warrant is in the Mahoning County jail on $35,000 bond.

Natalia Rosario, 34, was arraigned Friday in municipal court before Magistrate Anthony Sertick on charges of possession of heroin, a first-degree felony; and tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony.

Reports said members of the Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force were serving a search warrant about 11:45 a.m. at a Ravenwood Avenue house and had to break down a reinforced door to gain entrance.

Rosario was found trying to flush drugs down the toilet, reports said. Her two children, age 13 and 18, were also there, reports said.

A man who lives in the house with her, Rolando Pena-Gomez, 32, was arrested at his place of employment in Hubbard on a secret indictment on drug-trafficking charges, reports said.

A Mahoning County grand jury secretly indicted Pena-Gomez on June 2 on three counts of trafficking in cocaine. He is expected to be arraigned Tuesday in common pleas court.

Youngstown police officer Bob Patton, who investigates drug cases for the task force, would only say that the investigation into Pena-Gomez had been “lengthy” before the indictment was filed.

Patton said for a drug charge to be a first-degree felony, someone must have more than 50 grams.

Patton said there were about 130 grams of heroin that officers serving the search warrant managed to confiscate. Patton said typically, a gram of heroin sells for between $100 and $125 on the street.

Rosario needed an interpreter during her arraignment. If convicted on both charges, she faces a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.