Wife of Silverthorne drug dealer sentenced for child abuse

SUMMIT COUNTY — The wife of an incarcerated Silverthorne drug dealer could face deportation to Mexico after she was found guilty of child abuse for bringing her two children to drug deals.

Maria Teresa Rivera-Lopez and her husband, Carlos Rivera-Lopez, were arrested in mid-April for possession and conspiracy to distribute cocaine and child abuse after an undercover investigation found they were using their children to negotiate drug deals.

Summit County Court Judge Edward Casias on Monday sentenced Rivera-Lopez to time already served, given that she already has spent almost four months in jail on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement hold.

Carlos Rivera-Lopez was sentenced to six years in prison last Monday.
“In this case, the punitive aspect has already been served,” Casias said, addressing Rivera-Lopez in court. “Your children have been taken from you. You have been in jail, and my guess is you will be removed from the U.S.”

The case now has been handed to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which will evaluate Rivera-Lopez’s immigration status.

“This really is a shocking and sickening situation where children were brought to drug deals,” Deputy District Attorney Scott Turner said.

Tuner added that Rivera-Lopez may be subject to dependency-and-neglect proceedings, which could potentially terminate her rights as a mother to her two children.

Both children now are living in California with Rivera-Lopez’s sister.

Prior to the arrest in April, undercover officers with the Summit County Drug Task Force bought more than 20 grams of cocaine from Carlos Rivera-Lopez while his wife and two young children were in the car.

Carlos Rivera-Lopez also allegedly used his 14-year-old son to facilitate his phone conversations between the undercover officer and himself.

“It is tragic that a family has been completely destroyed,” Casias said. “But these children should not have been a part of that style of living and should never have been exposed to the risks associated with drug dealing.”

During a search of the Rivera-Lopez residence in Silverthorne in April, the Sheriff’s Office K9 dog Tommy detected narcotics in several different areas of the house, including near children’s toys.

A search of the children’s bedrooms allegedly found posters of marijuana strains as well as figurines with marijuana leaves on them.

The search also found multiple documents with different identities, money, 43.2 grams of marijuana, 20 marijuana cigarette butts and 85.3 grams of cocaine.

Ashley Dickson can be reached at (970) 668-4629, or at adickson@summitdaily.com.