Tip Leads Police to 886-Pound Cocaine Haul in Sylmar House

An anonymous tip resulted in the seizure of 886 pounds of cocaine and the arrests of two Sylmar men after a 2-week investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Brea Police Department, authorities said.

Sheriff’s investigators raided the home of Orlando Yepes, 47, and Carlos Gomez, 21, both of Colombia, on Thursday shortly after they arrested the two men near their residence in the 14000 block of Fenton Avenue in Sylmar, said Sheriff’s Deputy Gabe Ramirez.

Deputies found the cocaine--which they say has an estimated street value of about $117 million--and $5,000 in cash inside the house, Ramirez said.

Lt. Frank Dadurro of the sheriff’s narcotics division described the seizure as “very significant” but by no means among the largest. No figures were immediately available on comparable drug seizures.

Yepes and Gomez were arrested on suspicion of possession of cocaine for sale and on suspicion of conspiracy to sell cocaine. They are each being held in the Los Angeles County Jail in lieu of $5 million bail.

Lt. Tom Christian of the Brea Police Department said authorities received an anonymous tip two weeks ago regarding Yepes and Gomez. He said the pair’s residence had been under surveilance from that time until their arrests.

Christian said investigators searched the home after obtaining a search warrant.

Neither sheriff’s deputies nor Christian would say how the Brea police became involved in the investigation.

In an unrelated case, the Sheriff’s Department on Wednesday seized 194 pounds of cocaine, which they say would have been worth $26.4 million on the street, and arrested four people at a suspected “stash house” for drugs in Northridge. That seizure also occurred after an anonymous tip, Lt. Bill Christiansen said.