Investigation into Fentanyl Death Leads to Arrest on Multiple Counts of Possession
December 9, 2021 – Ventura County, Ca.
It took nearly four months, but the Ventura County Sheriff’s Pharmaceutical Crimes Unit PCU), finally appears to have arrested the individual responsible for an August 29, 2021 fatal drug overdose.
According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. John Hajducko, Moorpark Patrol deputies responded to a 911 Emergency call for service on that date and discovered “a subject who was deceased as the result of a drug overdose.” It didn’t take PCU investigators long to identify 40-year-old Van Nuys, CA resident John Lester as “a possible suspect who sold fentanyl to the victim that caused their death.”
Once they knew who they were looking for, however, it took detectives several weeks to determine Lester’s location in a mobile home park in the Sun Valley area of Los Angeles County.
A search warrant was issued and served on Lester, his vehicle, and his residence. Once inside the mobile home, detectives discovered “fentanyl, methamphetamine, a firearm with a threaded barrel capable of accepting a silencer, and U.S. currency indicative of drug sales.”
Lester was promptly taken into custody and transported to Ventura County Jail, where he was booked on charges of possession of a controlled substance for sale, sales of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance with a firearm, possession of a dangerous drug, possession of a firearm by an addict or felon, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and possession of an assault weapon. “The investigation into the fatal overdose is still ongoing,” as Lester posted $50,000 bail and is no longer in custody.
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