Heroin Purchase by Federal Agents Leads to 3 Arrests in National City
Three men were arrested Thursday morning, allegedly after trying to sell a large quantity of heroin to an undercover federal agent in National City.
Ron D’Ulisse, a Drug Enforcement Administration spokesman, said the men were arrested about 11:30 a.m. outside a restaurant on Plaza Boulevard when they attempted to sell about 34 ounces of black tar heroin. Authorities say black tar heroin originates in Mexico and is usually 60% to 80% pure.
The suspects were identified as Federico Kraft-Leon, 22, of National City; Herbierto Barraza Leon, 27, of Tijuana, and Oscar Zazueta Beltran, 29, of Culiacan, Mexico.
D’Ulisse said they were booked on possession with intent to distribute heroin and conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute heroin.
He said federal agents had been investigating the three about two months. When the undercover buy was arranged, he said, the suspects had negotiated to sell the heroin for an estimated $150,000. The street value of the drugs, he said, was about $1.2 million.
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