Long Beach mother brought her young children to drug deals, police say
Enedina Cardona Rodriguez, 36, who has eight children ages 3 to 18, allegedly sold heroin from her SUV. She is to be arraigned Wednesday.
By Francisco Vara-Orta, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
12:55 PM PDT, June 3, 2008
A mother of eight who Long Beach police say took her two youngest children with her when she sold heroin from her SUV is in jail today awaiting arraignment.
Enedina Cardona Rodriguez, 36, was arrested Monday afternoon after she left five of her children alone for at least 12 hours, said Sgt. Paul LeBaron of the Long Beach Police Department's drug investigations unit.
LeBaron says officers searched the single mother's two-bedroom apartment in the 900 block of Cherry Avenue while she was gone and found about $10,000 in cash and $40 in black tar heroin.
The plastic bag that held two pieces of heroin was stuffed in a white baby shoe, LeBaron said. Wads of money, along with welfare credit cards, were stuffed into the pockets of clothing crammed in suitcases, in the closet and in drawers.
When confronted by police, LeBaron said, Rodriguez remained passive.
"It's not the typical reaction you expect from someone who was busted in front of her children," he said.
But after officers explained what they had found and the penalties, Rodriguez showed "some emotion, but we don't know whether it was for what she did to her kids, or because she was caught," LeBaron said.
Rodriguez's 13-year-old daughter told officers that their mother left in the middle of the night after asking her 16-year-old brother to be in charge.
Rodriguez told investigators she left her children in the apartment about 3 a.m. Monday, and took her two youngest boys, ages 3 and 6, with her to Turlock, Calif. The city, LeBaron said, is a well-known midpoint where drugs switch hands between dealers in Northern and Southern California.
It wasn't the first time that investigators saw her take her children to a drug deal, LeBaron said. Police learned of her alleged drug operation two weeks ago after someone they had arrested tipped them off.
"We've seen other kids that were with her, but usually only two at a time," he said.
Investigators followed Rodriguez and saw her repeatedly make deals with her 3- and 6-year-old boys in tow. In one surveillance video, Rodriguez is seen selling heroin as her two youngest boys lean out of the window of her black Isuzu SUV.
The youngest boy tells one customer his name and holds up three fingers to show his age at his mother's prompting, then watches as his mother hands over a bag of heroin in exchange for cash, LeBaron said.
On Monday, her seven youngest children, five boys and two girls ages 3, 6, 7, 10, 12, 13 and 16, were taken into protective custody. The eldest, an 18-year-old son, doesn't appear to be involved in the alleged drug dealing and was not taken into custody, police said.
LeBaron said that police aren't sure if Rodriguez used any of the drugs she was selling, but said she socialized with drug users and sellers.
Rodriguez is jailed pending $100,000 bond on suspicion of felony drug dealing and cruelty to a child. She is scheduled to be arraigned at the Superior Court in Long Beach on Wednesday.
LeBaron said it's not the charges that are rare, it's the circumstances.
"The fact that she would put her children in danger, it's horrible," LeBaron said. "To imagine what could have happened if someone could have attacked her or robbed her. And it's sad to think her children would be exposed to this, so young and innocent."
Enedina Cardona Rodriguez, 36, who has eight children ages 3 to 18, allegedly sold heroin from her SUV. She is to be arraigned Wednesday.
By Francisco Vara-Orta, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
12:55 PM PDT, June 3, 2008
A mother of eight who Long Beach police say took her two youngest children with her when she sold heroin from her SUV is in jail today awaiting arraignment.
Enedina Cardona Rodriguez, 36, was arrested Monday afternoon after she left five of her children alone for at least 12 hours, said Sgt. Paul LeBaron of the Long Beach Police Department's drug investigations unit.
LeBaron says officers searched the single mother's two-bedroom apartment in the 900 block of Cherry Avenue while she was gone and found about $10,000 in cash and $40 in black tar heroin.
The plastic bag that held two pieces of heroin was stuffed in a white baby shoe, LeBaron said. Wads of money, along with welfare credit cards, were stuffed into the pockets of clothing crammed in suitcases, in the closet and in drawers.
When confronted by police, LeBaron said, Rodriguez remained passive.
"It's not the typical reaction you expect from someone who was busted in front of her children," he said.
But after officers explained what they had found and the penalties, Rodriguez showed "some emotion, but we don't know whether it was for what she did to her kids, or because she was caught," LeBaron said.
Rodriguez's 13-year-old daughter told officers that their mother left in the middle of the night after asking her 16-year-old brother to be in charge.
Rodriguez told investigators she left her children in the apartment about 3 a.m. Monday, and took her two youngest boys, ages 3 and 6, with her to Turlock, Calif. The city, LeBaron said, is a well-known midpoint where drugs switch hands between dealers in Northern and Southern California.
It wasn't the first time that investigators saw her take her children to a drug deal, LeBaron said. Police learned of her alleged drug operation two weeks ago after someone they had arrested tipped them off.
"We've seen other kids that were with her, but usually only two at a time," he said.
Investigators followed Rodriguez and saw her repeatedly make deals with her 3- and 6-year-old boys in tow. In one surveillance video, Rodriguez is seen selling heroin as her two youngest boys lean out of the window of her black Isuzu SUV.
The youngest boy tells one customer his name and holds up three fingers to show his age at his mother's prompting, then watches as his mother hands over a bag of heroin in exchange for cash, LeBaron said.
On Monday, her seven youngest children, five boys and two girls ages 3, 6, 7, 10, 12, 13 and 16, were taken into protective custody. The eldest, an 18-year-old son, doesn't appear to be involved in the alleged drug dealing and was not taken into custody, police said.
LeBaron said that police aren't sure if Rodriguez used any of the drugs she was selling, but said she socialized with drug users and sellers.
Rodriguez is jailed pending $100,000 bond on suspicion of felony drug dealing and cruelty to a child. She is scheduled to be arraigned at the Superior Court in Long Beach on Wednesday.
LeBaron said it's not the charges that are rare, it's the circumstances.
"The fact that she would put her children in danger, it's horrible," LeBaron said. "To imagine what could have happened if someone could have attacked her or robbed her. And it's sad to think her children would be exposed to this, so young and innocent."
