Tip leads to two cocaine arrests

An anonymous tip led to the arrests Tuesday of two Santa Rosa men suspected of selling cocaine.

Esteban Almaguer, 38, and Arturo Silva Briseno, 35, were charged with felony drug possession.

Santa Rosa police said Wednesday they received a tip in March that drugs were being sold at a home on Lance Drive in northwest Santa Rosa. Investigators identified a suspect, later identified as Almaguer, while staking out the home.

The suspect subsequently was spotted driving a white Dodge Ram pickup on Highway 101 on Tuesday evening, and he did not stop when police initially tried to pull him over, and continued to drive southbound onto Santa Rosa Avenue, said Sgt. Lisa Ban-ayat.

He stopped for a traffic light and after several minutes yielded to police requests to get out of the car, Banayat said.

Police said they found several ounces of cocaine and packaging material in the vehicle and white powder suspected to be cocaine throughout the truck's cab.

A white powder also was covering the pants of a passenger in the truck, identified as Briseno, Banayat said.

Briseno and Almaguer are being held at Sonoma County Jail on felony charges of possessing cocaine for sale. Neither suspect is eligible for bail. Both are believed to be illegal immigrants and are on immigration hold.

Briseno also was wanted on two no-bail warrants for drug possession and violating probation on a domestic violence conviction.

-- Laura Norton