$100-Million Drug Bust : 2nd-Biggest Haul Ever in Southland

In what was termed the second-largest cocaine seizure in Southern California history, Anaheim police announced today the confiscation of 2.5 tons of the drug valued in excess of $100 million and the arrest of seven suspected drug traffickers.

The cocaine was seized at several locations in Los Angeles and Orange counties over the weekend in a joint operation with other law-enforcement agencies, Anaheim Police Lt. Vince Howard said.

The stash of cocaine was found in a Hacienda Heights house and in several vehicles, according to Howard.

Acting on a tip, Anaheim police initiated the investigation a week ago in a case that also involved the federal Drug Enforcement Agency, San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department, Huntington Beach police and California Bureau of Narcotics.

The suspects, several of them identified as Colombian or Cuban nationals living in the United States, were arrested at various locations in both counties Saturday and Sunday, Howard said. They were booked into Anaheim jail on charges of possession of cocaine for sale and were to be arraigned today.

They are Guillermo Fernandez, 37, of Florida; Eduardo Alvarez, 31, of New York; Ramon Quintana, 38, of New Jersey; Jose Bermudez Sosa, 42, of New Jersey; Jair DeJesus Mejia, 29 of Reseda; Hernan Aritizabal, 39, of Florida, and Cabian Rodriguez, 42, of Whittier.

In addition, Howard said, officers seized about $20,000 in cash.

He said that after the tip was received in Anaheim, the investigations led officers into surveillance in Los Angeles County, where they observed several transactions believed to have involved cocaine.

The bust was second only to the 20 tons of cocaine seized from a Sylmar warehouse last September. At the time, law-enforcement officials termed the confiscation of drugs with an estimated street value of $6.7 billion the largest ever.

The arrests come within a week after the FBI and West Covina police arrested three men and confiscated 1,025 pounds of cocaine from a vehicle stopped in Orange County and from a house in Ontario. An FBI spokesman termed the cache “significant,” though not a record amount.