On April 9, 2024, the Ventura County Fentanyl and Overdose Crimes Units (VC FOCUS) concluded an investigation into an Oxnard resident who was utilizing social media to advertise narcotics for sale and deliver drugs to residents all over Ventura County.
Detectives developed information that Erick Villa was selling a variety of narcotics including cocaine, counterfeit fentanyl laced tablets, MDMA, and pharmaceutical pills. Villa was active on social media and operated a “store” where customers would place orders and Villa would make deliveries countywide. Detectives conducted several days of surveillance and watched Villa conduct numerous narcotics transactions. Detectives were able to obtain a search warrant based on these observations.
On April 9, 2024, detectives detained Villa near Victoria Avenue and Leeward Way in Oxnard, then served a search warrant at his residence. Detectives located 4.5 ounces of cocaine, 310 fentanyl pills, 244 MDMA tablets, 672 pills consisting of several highly abused pharmaceutical medications, Psylocibin mushrooms, an unregistered handgun and ammunition. US Currency, precious metals, and crypto currency valued in excess of $50,000 and believed to be derived from these drug sales was also seized.
Villa was arrested on felony charges of 11351 HS- Possession for Sales of a Controlled Substance, 11378 HS- Possession for Sales of a Dangerous Drug, 11375(b)(1) HS- Possession of a Designated Controlled Substance for Sale, and 11370.1 HS- Possession of a Controlled Substance with a Firearm. He was booked into the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility and remains in custody on $500,000 bail.
VC FOCUS is a task force made up of Ventura County regional law enforcement agencies, the California Highway Patrol, and federal law enforcement partners. The primary mission of this partnership is to combat fentanyl related crimes and opioid overdoses by targeting the supply chain of individuals and criminal organizations responsible for the sales of these drugs into Ventura County. In addition, the task force works to identify new trends of abuse among the younger population and educate the community at large on the lethal danger of this epidemic.
VC FOCUS has partnered with Ventura County Behavioral Health as an active member of the County Overdose Awareness & Solutions Team (COAST) 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.
The public may contact investigators from the VC FOCUS at (805) 383-8700 or [email protected] with additional information about this case, or any other information related to narcotics.
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