Glendale man tied to alleged 15-pound meth discovery

Prosecutors on Monday charged a Glendale man for allegedly possessing 15 pounds of methamphetamine, which were found inside a Long Beach home.

Mario Cuellar, 25, and another man, 50-year-old Frank Gutierrez of Reseda, face a felony charge of possessing methamphetamine in connection with Dec. 12 drug seizure, according to a Los Angeles County Superior Court criminal complaint.

Cuellar is also charged with allegedly transporting and selling the drug.

Glendale narcotics detectives were conducting a drug investigation when they saw two vehicles pull into a store parking lot on Firestone Boulevard in Norwalk, Glendale police spokeswoman Tahnee Lightfoot said.

Cuellar and Gutierrez exited the vehicles and exchanged a black bag, which detectives suspected was narcotics, she added.

Moments later, the pair were detained as detectives searched one of the vehicles’ trunks.

Inside the trunk, detectives found the bag, which contained a pound of white powder resembling methamphetamine, Lightfoot said.

The pair was arrested and taken into custody.

As the investigation continued, detectives discovered a home on 57th Street in Long Beach they believed was tied to drug activity and sales involving Gutierrez and Cuellar, she said.

Detectives obtained a warrant and searched the home, where they reportedly found more than a dozen pounds of methamphetamine inside a bedroom.

While searching the home, detectives also found drug packaging materials, a large amount of cash and a 9-milimeter gun.

Cuellar and Gutierrez are scheduled to appear Dec. 23 in the Los Angeles Superior Court in Norwalk.

Gutierrez has previous drug convictions as well as convictions for assault with a deadly weapon and being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to court records.

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Follow Veronica Rocha on Google+ and on Twitter: @VeronicaRochaLA.

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