| Nature of Incident: |
Seven Arrested for Drug Trafficking |
| Report Number: |
22- 34309 |
| Location: |
5000 Block of Verdugo Way, Camarillo, California
3500 Block of Sesame Street, Bakersfield, California |
| Date & Time: |
March 16, 2022 @ 1615 Hours |
| Unit(s) Responsible: |
United States Drug Enforcement Administration, Ventura County Combined Agency Team, Ventura County Narcotics Street Team, Camarillo Patrol Services |
| (S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent |
City of Residence
|
Age |
(S) Homero Lopez
(S) Manuel Martinez
(S) Apolinar Mena
(S) Francisco Placencia
(S) Antonio Santana
(S) Jesus Varela
(S) Jaime Lopez |
Bakersfield
Ventura
Compton
Compton
Riverside
Torrance
Compton
|
33
23
29
27
30
27
28 |
| Narrative: |
The Ventura County Combined Agency Team (VCAT) and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Los Angeles Field Division- Ventura Field Office concluded a multiple month-long investigation of a major narcotic trafficking organization with the arrest of seven suspects and the seizure of a large amount of narcotics.
Detectives assigned to VCAT and Special Agents from the DEA conducted an investigation into Homero Diaz of Bakersfield. The investigation revealed that Diaz was responsible for trafficking methamphetamine and fraudulent prescription pills into Ventura County. The fraudulent prescription pills contain the deadly drug fentanyl and are pressed to look like prescription oxycodone pills.
On March 16, 2022, narcotics detectives and uniformed deputies assigned to the Camarillo Patrol Station, arrested Homero Diaz and six of his co-conspirators on federal charges of possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance. The arrests were made in Camarillo, where Diaz was coordinating a delivery of fentanyl and methamphetamine. The other suspects arrested were Manuel Martinez of Ventura, Apolinar Mena of Compton, Francisco Placencia of Compton, Antonio DeJesus Santana of Riverside, Jesus Varela of Torrance, and Jaime Gomez Lopez of Compton. In conjunction with the arrests, federal and state officials seized approximately 50,000 fentanyl pills and 45 pounds of methamphetamine from the three cars the suspects had arrived in.
This amount of methamphetamine and fentanyl has an approximate street value of $230,000.
All seven suspects were booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles for Federal drug trafficking violations. They made their initial appearance in court on March 17, 2022.
The indictment contains allegations that each defendant had committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
VCAT is comprised of detectives from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office and Special Agents from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration. VCAT is responsible for the investigation and arrest of persons and organizations who are engaged in mid to top-level drug trafficking impacting the residents and businesses of the County of Ventura. This Sheriff’s Office is proud of our ongoing collaboration with the DEA in our proven strategy to remove dangerous drugs from our community.
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| Prepared by: |
Sergeant Robert Davidson |
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| News Release Date: |
March 22, 2022 |
|
| Media Follow-Up Contact: |
Detective Christian Freede
(805) 383-8700
christian.freede@ventura.org |
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Approved by:
Booking Photo Release: |
Captain Brian Slominski
YES NO |
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