A Fairplay man was arrested by members of the Chaffee County Drug Task Force late Wednesday evening after allegedly selling suspected methamphetamine to another man.  The arrest resulted from an undercover operation initiated after information was obtained by officers from an informant whose identity was not released.

Craig Doty, 47, was lodged in the Chaffee County Detention Facility charged with one count each of unlawful possession and unlawful distribution of a schedule II controlled substance (methamphetamine), both felonies.  Bond was set at $20,000.

Authorities allege that Doty drove from his residence in Fairplay to a closed business parking lot in Buena Vista where he sold two ounces of the drug to another man for $2,000 cash.  The transaction, occurring shortly before 9pm Wednesday, was observed by detectives who quickly arrested Doty without incident.  Officers also recovered a plastic baggie containing just less than one ounce of suspected methamphetamine that Doty allegedly threw from the vehicle as officers approached.  Street value of the seized methamphetamine was conservatively estimated by detectives to be $8,000 to $10,000.

A male passenger in Doty’s vehicle during the incident was arrested but later released without charge.  Authorities are considering charges against the man who obtained the drug from Doty in exchange for the cash.  Neither man’s identity is being released at this time.

Task force officers participating in the investigation and arrest were from the Buena Vista and Salida police departments, the district attorney’s office, and the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office.