Costa Mesa : 4 Men Arraigned on Cocaine Ring Charges

Four men arrested Thursday in Costa Mesa by police and drug enforcement officials were arraigned Friday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on charges of conspiracy and possession with the intent to distribute more than $4 million worth of cocaine.

Drug Enforcement Agency spokesman Johnnie Granados said that about $100,000 in cash was also confiscated in the Thursday night raid. He said two of the suspects arrested were Colombian nationals who enforcement officials believe were transferring the drug from Miami to the Los Angeles area. The drug raid culminated a three-year investigation by the DEA with the aid of Costa Mesa police, Granados said.

The four suspects were identified as William Tello and Elizar Barrez, both 25, from Colombia, and Richard Kenneth Newell, 52, and Enrique Castro, 45, of Costa Mesa.

Officials said they seized more than 5 1/2 kilograms of cocaine at the 3129 Bray St. residence, where two of the suspects apparently lived. Also confiscated were three late-model cars and about $5,000 worth of stolen property, including audio, video and film-editing equipment and cellular phones.

Tello and Barrez, who were from the Miami area, were allegedly transporting the drug to Los Angeles and Orange counties during the past few years, according to Granados. DEA agents claim that the four men were transporting five kilos a week to various drug dealers throughout Orange County.

Granados said there has been an increase in drugs in the Los Angeles area and “we’re making larger seizures (of drugs) because we’re developing better sources of information, our investigation is more sophisticated and we’re doing a better job.” Tuesday, federal and local drug agents arrested a Colombian national living in Anaheim and 30 others who, agents said, operated a major international cocaine operation. Agents said they seized $8 million worth of the illegal drug in that raid.