Ventura County – The Ventura County Sheriff’s Narcotics Bureau, working in concert with the VSD West County Street Team and the Oxnard Police Department, are a tenacious bunch. When they pick up the scent of narcotics violators within their jurisdiction via confidential sources of information, they have a habit of working those leads to a successful conclusion.
Case in point: the December 31st arrests of Jose Torres Garcia, 48, and Anthony Ochoa, 42, both Oxnard residents suspected of trafficking in controlled substances for many months. According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. J. Hendren, detectives from the Narcotics Bureau had been working on leads given them by informants and undercover deputies on the streets of Oxnard, Port Hueneme, and Camarillo for “several months.”
Pursuant to those leads, Garcia was contacted in person on December 30th and was “found to be in possession of several ounces of methamphetamine and cocaine.” A search of his Fifth Street residence followed immediately and provided detectives with additional evidence including more methamphetamine, cocaine, and an undisclosed amount of cash.
For his part, Ochoa—suspected of dealing in heroin throughout the city of Oxnard over an extended period of time—was found by deputies exiting from his First Street home where they had arrived to execute a search warrant. This initial contact was presumably a bit edgy, as Ochoa was detained outside the home while deputies entered and discovered nearly four pounds of heroin, as well as some cash reflecting ongoing drug sales.
Both Ochoa and Garcia were transported to Ventura County Jail for booking on charges of possession of methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin with intent to sell.
Photo: Courtesy Ventura County Jail Booking, Ventura County Narcotics Bureau
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VCSTAR: Two Oxnard men arrested for narcotics