San Diego

Bail will remain at $500,000 and a hearing must be held before a woman charged with possession of a large amount of drugs and firearms may be bailed out, a Municipal Court judge ruled Thursday.

Judge H. Ronald Domnitz ordered that Gloria Arana, 31, be held in jail even if her bail is provided in cash, until a hearing determining the source of the bail money can be held.

Arana is charged with possession of heroin and cocaine for sale stemming from a Dec. 17 discovery of the drug cache in her home. Police found the drugs after being called by Arana’s 9-year-old son, who asked for help because he, his brother and his sister were alone and hungry.

The children, ages 2, 6 and 9, were taken to a receiving home and Arana was arrested when she returned home later in the day.

Officers who discovered the drugs estimated their value at about $4 million. About 14 pounds of cocaine and three pounds of heroin were confiscated. Deputy Dist. Atty. Bruce Smith said the drugs found were valued in the hundreds of thousands of dollars and that $58,000 in cash also was found in the Southeast San Diego home.