A routine crack case from the Tenderloin has brought up immigration issues. Rigoberto Valle has been charged with selling two rocks of crack cocaine on the corners of Golden Gate and Larkin. However, he claims he was forced to commit the crime by the traffickers whom he paid to bring him up from Honduras earlier this year.
The sting that caught Valle wasn’t part of the three week sweep of the Tenderloin. That effort, which took place in late August and early September, was criticized by Deputy Public Defender Tal Klement, arrested 302 people for dealing.
Valle’s case highlights the vulnerability of some people who are desperate enough to sell on the streets. Even if his testimony of captivity and fear for his life gets the charge dropped, he may force deportation at the end of his trial.
