Johnson Lane residents busted for drugs; neighbors provide tip

Five Johnson Lane residents were arrested on drug charges early Wednesday after 35 law enforcement officers converged on their East Valley Road home in a pre-dawn raid.

The arrests were the culmination of a month-long investigation prompted by neighbors of the home at 2861 East Valley Road who complained about traffic at the residence 24 hours a day.

Arrested Wednesday were:

• Nadine Murray, 56, charged with trafficking in a schedule 1 controlled substance and jailed on $250,000 cash bail;

• Tom Murray, 57, charged with possession of a controlled substance, $5,000 bail;

• Karen Sclafani, 41, of Carson City, charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, $5,500 bail;

• Darin Culpepper, 37, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, failure to appear warrant from Sparks, $6,047 bail;

• Steven Hipple, 38, Minden, arrested at the Carson City Jail for trafficking in a schedule 1 controlled substance;

Douglas Sheriff's Sgt. Tom Mezzetta said the investigation was conducted by the Douglas County Sheriff's Street Enforcement Team, Special Weapons and Tactics team and Tri-Net narcotics task force.

Mezzetta said the investigation included several controlled purchases of methamphetamine at the home after officers concluded that the house was being used to store and sell controlled substances.

Officers recovered 2 ounces of methamphetamine with a street value of $5,600 through the controlled purchases and confiscated at the house.

Mezzetta said a motorcycle, which had been stolen in Reno, also was discovered at the house.

"Nadine and Tom Murray have a long history of involvement with controlled substances at their East Valley home," Mezzetta said. "In 1989, the couple was arrested for cultivation of marijuana at the home, and in 2001, the couple was arrested in connection with a methamphetamine lab."

Mezzetta said residents should not hesitate to contact the sheriff's office to report suspicious activity in their neighborhoods.

"It's pretty typical of people dealing drugs out of their homes that there is a lot of coming and going. We instruct residents at our Neighborhood Watch to report suspicious activity. We act on all the reports, and investigate.

"We developed a substantial case in this instance with information from neighbors," Mezzetta said.

The suspects are to appear in East Fork Justice Court today for arraignment.