Powder Seized, 4 Arrested in Drug Raid

San Diego police confiscated about $33,000 in cash and more than 2 pounds of what was believed to be cocaine Monday outside a San Ysidro residence. Four people were arrested.

The substance, which would have an estimated street value of $175,000, was found in a car parked outside a house in the 3800 block of Beyer Boulevard, a police spokesman said.

Arrested about 11:40 a.m. at the house on suspicion of possessing a controlled substance for sale were Joel Gay, 31, an unemployed transient; Agustin Magana, 36, a stable hand who lives at the house; Elena Lazo, 41, who also lives at the house, and Abel Herrera, 40, a mechanic from Tijuana.

According to police, the arrests stemmed from one made about two weeks ago after Officers Richard Grano and Boyd Long stopped a pickup truck in the 2200 block of Ocean View Boulevard in San Diego. Officers found more than 2 pounds of marijuana in the truck and arrested the driver.

The driver was not the registered owner of the truck, police said, and on Monday the officers went to the address listed for the owner. They found the door of the apartment open and could see two men and a woman inside. The two men appeared to be making a drug transaction, the police spokesman said, adding that one of the men was holding $30,000 worth of new $100 bills in his hand.

The officers could also see a scale with a white, powdery substance on it, the spokesman said. Believing a narcotics deal was in progress, the officers entered the apartment, where they found two weapons: a .22-caliber, semiautomatic pistol containing seven bullets and, in a kitchen drawer, an unloaded Colt .45-caliber revolver.

In another room, the officers found several bags containing a small amount of white powder that appeared to be cocaine, the spokesman said.

Besides the $30,000, the officers seized $3,027 from wallets belonging to the four people arrested.