Santa Barbara – With the running battle between law enforcement and potentially deadly narcotics dealers throughout the city and county continuing unabated, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Special Investigation Bureau has of late been working hand-in-glove with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in a concerted effort to round up those suspected of engagement in the illegal possession, transport, or sale of such contraband items.
According to SBSD Public Information Officer Kelly Hoover, following an investigation spanning several recent months, the SBSD investigators have been going after those individuals considered to pose a “significant threat” to the community. Members of the Special Investigation Bureau apparently know where to look and how to navigate the treacherous underworld rather effectively, for they’ve recently managed to discreetly buy “a fully automatic assault weapon with no serial number and methamphetamines” from a particular area resident.
That entrepreneurial citizen, one Paulo Desena, 31, was served with a search and arrest warrant at his home on June 4th in the expectation that law enforcement would find sufficient evidence of unlawful weapons and drug sales to take Mr. Desena into custody.
As Hoover detailed in her report to the media, the search went without incident and revealed Desena to be in possession of multiple weapons and a stash of methamphetamine held by him for purposes of sale. He was arrested and booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on a slew of charges, including: possession of a controlled substance unlawful sales of an assault weapon, possession of an assault weapon in the commission of a felony, possession of a machine gun, unlicensed sale of a firearm, sales of a firearm without a serial number, sale of a firearm to someone other than the actual purchaser, and sale of a firearm to a prohibited person. Whew.
Desena remains in custody with his bail was set at $500,000.
Photo: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail Booking
Read more:
EdHAt: Assault weapon and meth arrest
KSBY: Undercover detectives purchased gun, drugs
Noozhawk: Santa Barbara man arrested on gun, drug charges
