Photo: Drug evidence collected during arrest | VCFOCUS Task Force
The Ventura County Fentanyl Overdose and Crimes Units (VCFOCUS) is a collaborative task force comprising all law enforcement agencies in the Ventura County region. Its primary objective is to combat fentanyl-related crimes and opioid overdoses by specifically targeting individuals and criminal organizations involved in the illicit sales of these drugs within Ventura County.
On June 2, 2023, the VC FOCUS successfully concluded an investigation into the activities of 47-year-old Northridge resident Richard Gonzalez, suspected of the unlawful distribution of narcotics to residents of Ventura County.
Throughout the course of the investigation, the detectives gathered substantial information of Gonzalez’s involvement in drug trafficking and learned that he had an outstanding felony warrant issued by Ventura County, specifically related to the sale and transportation of controlled substances while in possession of a loaded firearm.
Acting on this information, VC FOCUS detectives contacted Gonzalez on the afternoon of June 2, 2023 and was taken into custody on the aforementioned outstanding felony warrant. According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Detective Scott Horswill, a search of his vehicle led to the discovery of “477 counterfeit M30 pills, 7 grams of heroin, 5 grams of powdered fentanyl, drug packaging materials, and a digital scale.” The driver of the vehicle, 59-year-old Simi Valley resident Luis Gonzales, was also arrested based on an unrelated outstanding Ventura County felony warrant.
Richard Gonzalez was subsequently booked into the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility on charges of 11351 HS, which refers to possession for sales of a controlled substance, and transportation of a controlled substance. Due to his PROS (Post-Release Offender Supervision) status, Richard Gonzalez remains in custody without the possibility of bail.
