Local News in Brief : 10 Arrested in Big Seizure of Cocaine
Police have seized nearly 598 pounds of cocaine hidden in a trailer load of furniture outside a Victorville motel and arrested 10 men and women on suspicion of trafficking in the drug, authorities said.
The seizure early Thursday morning concluded an investigation that began two months ago in Torrance and led police to Lawndale, Chino, the San Fernando Valley and Diamond Bar, Torrance Police Sgt. Ron Traber said.
The 10 suspects were being held on $5-million bail each at the Torrance Jail.
Torrance detectives were watching Wednesday night when Carlos Mejia, 25, and Pamela Garcia, 27, both of New York City, left a Diamond Bar home in a car towing a moving trailer, Traber said.
Police said they arrested the couple at 3 a.m. at a motel in the San Bernardino County community, where they had stopped for the night. Detectives said that they found the drugs in a secret compartment inside the trailer and that the shipment was destined for an East Coast distributor.
At the same time, police raided three homes--in Diamond Bar, Sherman Oaks and Cerritos--and arrested five men and three women for alleged trafficking in cocaine. More than $150,000 in cash was seized, along with another 22 pounds of cocaine, Traber said.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
