A Granada Hills man suspected of supplying drugs to residents of Ventura and Los Angeles counties was arrested in late June by Ventura County Sheriff’s detectives.
In February, detectives with the sheriff’s narcotics street team had identified the 41-year-old as a suspected narcotics supplier, believed to be operating out of his home in the Los Angeles neighborhood.
During a warrant search of the residence on June 23, the man fled into an open wash behind the home and eluded capture. Detectives seized more than 2 pounds of fentanyl, about 1.5 pounds of heroin, 12 ounces of methamphetamine, about 1,500 counterfeit Oxycodone pills believed to contain fentanyl, some 9,500 other counterfeit pills, nearly a pound of psilocybin mushrooms, 45 pounds of marijuana, more than 7 pounds of concentrated cannabis and other drugs.
Authorities also confiscated 17 firearms, two stolen motorcycles, a stolen box trailer and cash believed to be proceeds from drug sales.
On June 28, narcotics detectives detained the man in front of the residence. He was arrested on suspicion of narcotics and firearms violations and booked into Ventura County jail, where he was released the next day on a bail bond. Sheriff’s officials said the case has been submitted to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for filing consideration.
Ventura County Sheriff’s officials on Wednesday arrested a man in Camarillo suspected of working as a delivery driver for a service operated by a Mexican drug cartel.
Detectives with the county’s fentanyl and overdose crimes unit, or VC Focus, along with sheriff’s detectives in Thousand Oaks, had identified suspected drivers during a surveillance operation. The service is believed to supply fentanyl and other drugs to Ventura County residents and around Southern California, with profits funneled back to cartels in Mexico.
On Wednesday, detectives following one of the suspected drivers saw an apparent drug transaction in Camarillo, in the 1300 block of Ventura Boulevard. The 21-year-old driver was pulled over in a traffic stop. He told authorities he had recently moved to the U.S. from Sinaloa, Mexico, and was transient, sheriff’s officials said in a news release.
A search of the vehicle, registered in El Monte, turned up a half-pound of powder fentanyl, a half-pound of heroin, more than 2,000 counterfeit Oxycodone pills with fentanyl and about $1,400 in cash believed to be from drug sales.
The man was arrested on suspicion of possessing narcotics for sale and booked into Ventura County jail with bail set at $50,000.
Bricks of suspected fentanyl found during search
Two Colorado men staying at a Camarillo hotel last month were reportedly found with thousands of fraudulent Oxycodone pills and about 5 pounds of fentanyl, the powerful synthetic opioid.
The men, age 21 and 42, both residents of Greeley, Colorado, had been seen in late June near a vehicle parked in the lot of a business in the 1600 block of Daily Drive, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, which is contracted for police services in Camarillo.
The following day, June 28, the men were contacted and detained on suspicion of being under the influence of a controlled substance. The subsequent investigation found they had been renting a nearby hotel room and were suspected of selling drugs.
Detectives obtained a search warrant for the hotel room and vehicle. During the search, they found three large “bricks” of suspected drugs. In all, they found about 12,000 fraudulent Oxycodone pills, which contained fentanyl, and the 5 pounds of fentanyl. Preliminary tests confirmed the presence of fentanyl, officials said in a news release.
Small amounts of fentanyl are potentially lethal, with 2 milligrams providing a possibly deadly dose. Sheriff’s officials say the amount seized equated to more than 2.3 million times the 2-milligram amount.
The men were booked into county jail and subsequently released two days later under the statute of limitations. Prosecutors had not filed charges as of Wednesday, court records showed.