Photo: Ampelio Duarte Carrillo
Ventura County – If the mid-afternoon arrest of 20-year-old Moorpark resident Ampelio Duarte Carrillo is any indicator, the streets of Ventura County are frequently traveled by drivers dealing drugs and carrying the firepower to protect themselves and their illicit wares from competitors.
Duarte Carrillo, a Mexican national carrying a suspended California Driver’s License, was behind the wheel of a car involved in what Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Ken Truitt described as “a traffic stop on multiple vehicles for blocking a controlled intersection.”
That vehicular infraction brought Duarte Carrillo to the attention of the cops on the scene when the only identification he could offer was his Mexican passport. His DMV records indicated that his license had been suspended pursuant to “a prior Driving Under the Influence arrest.”
The on-scene conversations between Duarte Carrillo and the uniformed Moorpark Patrol Deputy made it apparent that he was “presently under the influence of drugs.” A search of his vehicle quickly followed, leading deputies to discover “methamphetamine, several small baggies for packaging drugs, a functional scale, a fraudulent Resident Alien Card, a fraudulent Social Security Card,” and, to top it all off, “a loaded unregistered handgun.”
Duarte Carrillo was summarily taken into custody and transported to Ventura County Jail, where he was charged with possession of methamphetamine for sales, unlawful possession of a firearm, and driving under the influence, with his bail set at $250,000.
Photo: Courtesy Ventura County Jail booking
