Tip by Agent Led to Arrest in Cocaine Case

A tip from a U. S. Customs Service agent led to the arrest of a Laguna Hills man charged with possession of 250 pounds of high-quality cocaine.

Daniel Hernando Serrano, 39, of Colombia was arrested Friday by Anaheim police in El Toro. Earlier that day, federal Drug Enforcement Administration agents followed Serrano and another man driving a separate car from Orange County to an industrial area of Los Angeles near the Los Angeles River.

Boxes Put Into Van

There, agents watched Serrano and others moving boxes from a tractor-trailer with a Florida license plate into Serrano’s 1985 Toyota van, according to an affidavit filed in U. S. District Court in Los Angeles.

Serrano is being held without bail at Terminal Island. A detention hearing is scheduled for Thursday, and a preliminary hearing on his case is set for Dec. 19. The others observed by DEA agents apparently were not arrested.

Government laboratory tests indicated that the cocaine seized is 94% pure. It has a wholesale value of about $3.5 million, Assistant U.S. Atty. Jimmy Gurule said Tuesday. Gurule, who said he is preparing evidence to be presented to a federal grand jury, predicted that Serrano would be indicted early next week. A post-indictment hearing is set for Dec. 23 before a Los Angeles federal court magistrate.

Former Xerox Employee

Married and the father of four children, Serrano is a former supervisor for Xerox Corp. According to court records, he has been in the Los Angeles area since 1971 and was hired by Xerox in 1972.

A Xerox spokeswoman in Irvine confirmed that Serrano left the company in October but declined to comment further on his employment with the firm.

Serrano filed a form with the court, saying that he owned a $200,000 home on Nellie Gail Road in Laguna Hills.