During the month of October 2022, Detectives from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Street Team developed information regarding a drug trafficking organization based in Los Angeles. This organization was responsible for the distribution of illegal narcotics to residents of Ventura County. During the course of this investigation, Detectives determined this organization distributed both bulk and user quantities of fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine and counterfeit pills believed to be laced with fentanyl.
Detectives identified Los Angeles County resident, Mark Gerontzos, as a delivery driver who distributed narcotics for the drug trafficking organization and were granted a search warrant for him and his vehicle based on their investigation. On November 9, 2022, Narcotics Detectives detained Gerontzos pursuant to the search warrant in a public parking lot in the 900 Block of Academy Drive in the City of Thousand Oaks.
During the search of Gerontzos’ person and vehicle, Narcotics Detectives seized over ten ounces of fentanyl, eight ounces of heroin, 638 counterfeit oxycodone pills (believed to be fentanyl), three ounces of methamphetamine, a loaded handgun and a large amount of US Currency of suspected drug proceeds. The total amount of opioids seized during this arrest is approximately 520 grams, which equates to approximately 13,000 doses. As a point of reference, ingesting as little as .25 milligrams of fentanyl could be a fatal amount. This equates to just this one seizure having the potential to kill over a million people.
Ventura County, much like the rest of the United States, is dealing with an opioid related overdose epidemic. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Narcotics Units have focused our efforts in combatting the spread of these illicit narcotics by targeting the supply chain of individuals and criminal organizations responsible for the sales of these drugs into Ventura County. We actively work with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to stem the tide of this epidemic.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office is an active member of the County Opioid Abuse
Suppression Taskforce (COAST). We have partnered with Ventura County Behavioral Health in
a campaign to reduce overdoses and educate the public about the dangers of opioids and other
drugs. Comprehensive information can be found at www.VenturaCountyResponds.org.
Based on the investigation, Gerontzos was arrested and booked at the Pre-Trial Detention Facility on various narcotics and weapon charges. He was released on an $80,000 bond and is scheduled for an arraignment hearing on 11/28/22, in Ventura County Superior Court. This investigation is on-going and additional arrests are pending.
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