Photo: Image of drug evidence collected | Ventura County Sheriff’s Office
36-year-old Oxnard resident Erick Villa may have a successful career ahead of him as an online social media marketing entrepreneur…but first he’s going to have to deal with the felony charges facing him pursuant to his April 9th arrest at the hands of the Ventura County Fentanyl and Overdose Crimes Unit.
According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. John Hajducko, investigators “developed information” that Erick Villa was dealing in a variety of drugs, including cocaine, counterfeit fentanyl-laced tablets, MDMA, and prescription pills. Evidence indicated that Villa used multiple social media accounts and platforms to run an online where he took orders and delivered drugs all over the county. After several days of watching Villa handle numerous drug deals, detectives managed to get a search warrant based on their surveillance.
On the afternoon of April 9th , detectives made contact with Villa and executed a search warrant at his home. During the search, they found 4.5 ounces of cocaine, 310 fentanyl pills, 244 MDMA tablets, and 672 pills of various commonly abused pharmaceuticals, along with Psylocibin mushrooms. They also discovered an unregistered handgun with ammunition. Additionally, assets including U.S. currency, precious metals, and cryptocurrencies—totaling over $50,000 and suspected to be profits from his drug trafficking—were confiscated.
Villa was arrested and transported to Ventura County Jail, where he was booked on charges of possession for sales of a controlled substance, possession for sales of a dangerous drug, and possession of a controlled substance with a firearm. He remains in custody with his bail set at $500,000.
