OXNARD : 12 Arrested in Drug Raids at 3 Houses

A two-month investigation of three houses in Oxnard and Ventura has culminated in the arrests of 12 Ventura County residents, authorities said.

Narcotics officers from three agencies in the county seized $2,000 in cash and two ounces of cocaine during searches of two houses in the 1100 block of South I Street in Oxnard on Wednesday, said Detective Tim Combs of the Oxnard Police Department.

“They were ‘crack houses’ that were supermarkets for street buyers,” Combs said. “People would drive up, go in, pick up their drugs and leave.”

A search of a third residence in the 900 block of Weber Circle in Ventura yielded $1,200 in cash and materials believed to be used to package cocaine for sale, Combs said.

Narcotics officers from the Oxnard Police Department, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department and the Ventura County district attorney’s office participated in the investigation and served the search warrants.

Cynthia Ford, 31, and Harmon Williams, 48, both of Oxnard, were arrested on suspicion of maintaining a place for narcotics use, possession of barbiturates and possession of a sawed-off shotgun. They were being held Thursday in the Ventura Jail in lieu of $5,000 bail each, Combs said.

Eric Taylor, 32, of Oxnard was arrested on suspicion of maintaining a place for narcotics use, Combs said. Taylor also was jailed in lieu of $5,000 bail, a spokeswoman for the jail said.

Richard Williams, 24, and W.C. Williams, 46, both of Oxnard were arrested on charges of possession of cocaine for sale, police said. They were being held in the Ventura Jail in lieu of $10,000 bail each.

Gregory Martinez, 19, Efren Lucero, 23, and Olga Camper, 28, all of Oxnard, and Julia Drawn, 45, of Ventura were arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of cocaine, Combs said.

Michelle Lawrence, 27, of Oxnard was arrested on outstanding traffic warrants, Combs said.

Camarillo residents Jonathan Flick, 24, and John Calvan, 19, were arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of cocaine after they drove up to one of the Oxnard houses, Combs said.

Drawn and Calvan were released from the County Jail on their own recognizance, a spokeswoman for the jail said.

Combs said the investigation is continuing and more arrests may be made.