Fullerton : 500 Pounds of Cocaine Seized; 4 Men Arrested

Los Angeles police, following a tip that led them to a Fullerton apartment, have arrested four Colombians and seized 500 pounds of cocaine, investigators announced Wednesday.

Officers said they followed an unidentified man from the apartment in a complex in the 1200 block of Deerpark Drive to a nearby fast-food restaurant Tuesday. Two of the suspects appeared there, then drove off in different directions.

One, identified as Jose Fabio Urego, 26, drove to Los Angeles and was arrested at West 39th Street and Arlington Avenue, where 41 1/2 pounds of cocaine was seized from his car, police said.

The other, identified as Jose Manuel Ortiz, 22, of Miami, went to the apartment, then drove to the Brea Mall parking lot, where he met another man identified as Jorge Ivan Botero, 27. Both were arrested. One kilogram of cocaine was seized, police said.

Officers said they returned to the apartment, arrested its occupant, Lus Restrepo, 35, and seized the remaining cocaine. Police also seized $103,656 in cash, $16,000 in cashier’s checks, two vehicles and two cellular telephones, they said.

Each suspect was jailed in Los Angeles on $2 million bail and is scheduled for arraignment today.