FULLERTON : 8 Arrested in Drug Case; $236, 000 Seized

Eight people suspected of being mid-level drug dealers, including four Colombians, were arrested by Fullerton police after a three-month investigation, officers said Wednesday.

In a “reverse sting,” several of the suspects were preparing to pay $230,000 cash to undercover police officers for 30 kilograms of cocaine, police said.

The suspects never received the cocaine. Instead, they were arrested and booked on suspicion of conspiracy to traffic in narcotics. Police seized five cars and a total of $236,000, Police Sgt. Dan Becerra said.

The arrests late Tuesday capped an investigation that included months of negotiations with the suspects to both buy and sell cocaine, Becerra said. Patricia Najarro, 33, the only woman among those arrested, flew from her home in San Mateo to take part, he said.

The arrests occurred at three locales in Fullerton and one in Anaheim, Becerra said. At a motel parking lot, officers arrested Carlos Ortiz, 18, of San Fernando; Rudy Romero, 23, of Los Angeles; and Emilio Salgado, 23, of Santa Ana.

According to police, Fernando Montoya, 25, of Laguna Niguel was arrested at a home improvement center parking lot. Sergio Cardona, 30, and Humberto Millan, 36, both of Santa Ana, were arrested at a pizza parlor parking lot. Officers arrested Najarro and Ivan Solis, 35, of Hacienda Heights at a Pacific Bell telephone facility where he works in Anaheim.

Becerra said Cardona, Ortiz, Millan and Montoya are Colombian citizens while Salgado and Romero are Mexican nationals. He said Najarro was on probation for a conviction on a possession of drugs for sale charge.