News Story - Narcotics Arrest
Nature of Incident: Narcotics Arrest
Report Number: 18-144443
Location: Thousand Oaks / Malibu
Date & Time: September 27th, 2018
Unit(s) Responsible: Ventura County Interagency Pharmaceutical Crimes Unit (PCU)
Thousand Oaks Directed Enforcement Unit (DEU)
Thousand Oaks Special Enforcement Unit (SEU)
(S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent City of Residence Age
(S) Donovan Ruiz
Malibu
23
Narrative:
On September 27th 2018, detectives from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Interagency
Pharmaceutical Crimes Unit (PCU) assisted by the Thousand Oaks Directed Enforcement Unit
(DEU) and the Thousand Oaks Special Enforcement Unit (SEU) concluded a two week narcotic
investigation into Donovan Ruiz, who was involved in the sales of suspected Fentanyl to
residents of Ventura and Los Angeles Counties. Ruiz is suspected of being the source of supply
of Fentanyl to many users in Ventura County. Fentanyl sold by Ruiz was eventually consumed
by a victim in the city of Thousand Oaks who later overdosed and died.
Detectives located and detained Ruiz in Malibu and served a signed search warrant at his
residence located in the 25000 block of Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. During this
investigation detectives were able to seize evidence related to Ruiz’s selling of illegal controlled
substances.
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Ruiz was booked into custody at the Ventura County Main Jail facility for 11352 H&S – Sales of a
controlled substance. Additional charging enhancements related to the overdose death are
probable. Ruiz’s bail was set at $500,000 and he is scheduled to be arraigned in Ventura County
Superior Court on Monday October 1st at 1:30PM.
The Ventura County Interagency Pharmaceutical Crimes Unit is a task force made up of
members from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, Thousand Oaks Police Department, the
California Highway Patrol, the Simi Valley Police Department, and the Ventura Police
Department. The primary mission of the task force is combatting the transfer of legal prescription
medication to the illegal market. In addition, the task force works to identify and stop new trends
of abuse among the younger population and investigates overdoses due to both prescription
medication and illicit drug use.
The public may also anonymously use the email [email protected] to report pharmaceutical
related crimes involving prescription medications.
Prepared by: Sergeant Matthew Young
News Release Date: September 27th 2018
Media Follow-Up Contact: Captain Garo Kuredjian
805-654-2417
Approved by: Captain Jeff Miller
Address/Location
Ventura County Sheriff's Office
800 S Victoria Ave
Ventura, CA 93003
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 805-654-9511