A lot of methamphetamine is off San Luis Obispo County streets thanks to an interagency effort by local law enforcement.
An investigation stemming from a simple traffic stop in Grover Beach led to the confiscation of more than a pound of meth and a stolen firearm, the discovery of a suspected meth lab, and four arrests, according to a Sheriff’s Department news release.
On May 29, Grover Beach police officers conducted a traffic stop that resulted in arrests due to a “large” amount of methamphetamine and a stolen gun. Grover Beach officers suspected there was more to the arrests, and contacted the Sheriff’s Department, which executed a number of search warrants throughout the county.
Officers confiscated approximately 1.1 pounds of meth, paraphernalia related to meth sales, evidence of a meth conversion laboratory, and roughly $3,500 in cash.
They also arrested Roxanna Lopez, 35, of Grover Beach; Juan Luis Lopez Quintana, 28, of Arroyo Grande; and Ramon Antonio Franco, 31, and Joseph Anthony Amaya, Jr., 19, both of Bakersfield. As of press time, all the suspects had been charged with drug-related crimes by the District Attorney’s Office, but information on the various criminal cases wasn’t available.
This represents the first “big” drug bust made locally by the Sheriff Department’s new interagency, the joint gang/narcotics Special Operations Unit, but the department is extending its gratitude to work done by officers in Grover Beach.
“We want to make sure that people know this [investigation] was a result of the work of Grover Beach police officers,” Sheriff’s Department Cmdr. Aaron Nix told New Times. “This was truly a joint effort, and [Grover Beach] was very helpful on this.”
The Special Operations Unit was launched in the winter after budget cuts forced the state Department of Justice to pull its funding for SLO County’s regional Narcotics Task Force. The Sheriff’s Department runs the new unit, which uses officers from the county’s various city police departments. Grover Beach currently contributes money for inclusion in the unit.
“This narcotics unit would absolutely not be successful without the help of every agency in the county, and this case is a perfect example of our agencies working together,” Nix said.
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