Trinidad To Pay $375K To 2 Women Arrested In Drug Raid

TRINIDAD, Colo. (AP) — The city of Trinidad will pay $375,000 to settle a wrongful-arrest lawsuit from two women arrested during a 2013 drug sting that resulted in no convictions.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado announced the settlement Thursday. The group represented Danika Gonzales and Felicia Valdez, who were arrested following a sting based on information from a police informant. The informant was later discredited.

The lawsuit argued that the city had reason to believe the informant was untrustworthy, but went ahead with the 2013 arrests anyway.

Gonzalez lost her job after the arrest. She said in a statement Thursday that the incident caused "irreversible damage to my career, my family, and my trust in law enforcement."

None of the 40 people arrested in the raids was convicted of a crime.