Subject of drug raid blames the meth

A man arrested during a 2020 drug raid at a Lake Tahoe vacation rental claimed Tuesday that methamphetamine poisoned his life before he received the maximum sentence.

Joseph Allan Cudia, 47, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for trafficking and 38 months on a possession charge by District Judge Tod Young.

“My addiction has lasted 20-25 years, and it has damaged my relationship with myself and my family,” said Cudia. “Methamphetamine is poison and that’s what it’s done, it’s poisoned my life.”

Cudia admitted selling 103 grams of methamphetamine and had another 88 grams in his possession.

Arrested in a May 14, 2020, raid on the vacation rental where he’d been squatting, Cudia originally denied the charges and a trial was set but canceled when he failed to appear in court in April 2021. He was returned to Douglas custody on a $100,000 warrant at the end of 2021.

He was given credit for 435 days credit for time served.