Major Drug Bust 17,000 Fentanyl Pills and More Seized in Arrest
Photo: Evidence Collected by Santa Barbara Sheriffs
Written By: Robert McCullough
August 13, 2022 – Santa Barbara County, Ca. – With nationwide fatal drug overdoses rising at more than 20% per annum and amounting to several hundred victims each and every day, law enforcement faces ongoing challenges simply to keep pace the distribution and sales of fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and other illicit pharmaceuticals throughout the county.
The Santa Barbara Coroner’s Office reports that the year-over-year frequency of fatal overdoses within the county continues to increase to the point where 35 deaths per 100,000 population is now the new norm. Exacerbating the problem is the volume of various illegal drugs held in the hands of young dealers eager to make quick money.
Evidence of that came in the early morning hours of August 4 th when—pursuant to a month- long investigation into a spate of drug sales throughout the City of Santa Maria—a search warrant was served by Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department detectives on the residence of 21 year-old Victor Olivera-Hernandez.
According to SBSD Public Information Officer Raquel Zick, once inside the suspect residence, detectives located “approximately 17,000 counterfeit M30 fentanyl pills, 22.5 pounds of cannabis flower, 27 grams of MDMA, 218 grams of psilocybin mushrooms, three grams of cocaine, and hundreds of LSD tabs” along with an unspecified amount of firearms ammunition. This evidence was located within the home “in areas accessible to children.”
Olivera-Hernandez was taken into custody and transported to the Santa Barbara Northern Branch Jail, where he was booked on charges of child cruelty, unlawful possession of ammunition, and possession of narcotics for sales, with his bail set at $250,000.
