Shots Lead Deputies to a Bonanza : Drugs, Arms, Money, Indian Artifacts Found in Raids

The arrest of a man for allegedly firing a gun inside his South Laguna home has led to the unraveling of a possible drug-smuggling operation and discovery of Indian artifacts that may have been stolen from a San Juan Capistrano museum, a Sheriff’s Department spokesman said Friday.

As of Friday night, the two-day investigation had resulted in four arrests and the recovery of about $96,000 cash along with drugs and numerous weapons, according to Lt. Dick Olson.

Olson said Wayde Truman Westmoreland, 41, was arrested shortly after 2 a.m. Thursday when deputies responded to a report of shots heard inside his Sunset Avenue home.

Deputies’ Discoveries

Deputies found Westmoreland alone and he apparently had been drinking and firing a weapon, Olson said. While in the house, they observed two plastic bags, each of which contained about 20 pounds of marijuana, Olson said.

A search warrant was obtained and a further search uncovered about $73,000 cash, several firearms, a small quantity of hashish and what Olson called “numerous ledgers and bank records.”

Using information in the records, police arrested Westmoreland’s neighbor, Karen Lynne Gray, 38, shortly after 10 a.m. Thursday, Olson said.

Both were charged with possession of marijuana for sale, their bail was set at $250,000 and arraignment was scheduled for Monday in South Orange County Municipal Court, Olson said.

Raid on Rancho

The investigation then moved to Riverside County, where Westmoreland told deputies he managed the 300-acre Rancho Del Rio just across the Orange County line from Ronald W. Caspers Park.

Olson said a 16-member Orange County Sheriff’s SWAT team, believing there might be weapons at the ranch, served a search warrant there at about 8:30 a.m. Friday. Because of the size of the ranch and its numerous buildings it took about 2 1/2 hours to secure the site, he said.

The search of the ranch, using a drug-sniffing dog, yielded two more arrests, another $23,000 cash, 50 rifles and shotguns, three “possibly fully automatic” weapons, a money-counting machine, a precision scale, some packaging machines and numerous cardboard boxes, Olson said.

“It appears to be some type of smuggling operation,” he said, adding that further details were not available because investigators were still at the ranch late Friday.

Dutch Citizens Arrested

Two Dutch citizens, Robert Pellegrom, 26, and Hilma Hendrika Blom, 23, were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to smuggle controlled substances and sales of controlled substances, Olson said. They had not been booked as of late Friday.

Numerous Indian artifacts, some of which Olson said are “similar in nature” to those reported missing in a 1984 burglary of a San Juan Capistrano Museum, also were recovered at the ranch. Olson did not identify the museum or the date of the burglary.

Olson said the ranch is believed to be owned by Daniel James Fowlie, 51, whose last known address was in South Laguna. He said Fowlie may be traveling in the Netherlands at present.