Undercover Probe Nets $5 Million in Cocaine, 2 Suspects in Fountain Valley

Two men suspected of drug trafficking have been arrested and 220 pounds of cocaine with an estimated street value of $5 million have been seized, capping a weeklong undercover investigation, police said Tuesday.

Raul Neira, 37, of Bakersfield and Roberto Armando Gonzalez, 20, of Alhambra were arrested without incident Monday night on suspicion of conspiracy to sell and transport cocaine. They were being held at Huntington Beach City Jail without bail.

The investigation began last week when an undercover Huntington Beach narcotics officer received a tip that the suspects “were moving large quantities of cocaine throughout the state,” Huntington Beach Police Lt. Ed McErlain said in a prepared statement.

During the investigation, an undercover officer agreed to pay the suspects $2 million for 100 kilograms of cocaine, McErlain said.

On Monday, the suspects drove to a prearranged location on Brookhurst Street at the San Diego Freeway in Fountain Valley to complete the alleged transaction, police said. They were then taken into custody by police and the cocaine was seized from their car, McErlain said. The cocaine was packaged in large white burlap bags, he said.

Police also seized two pickup trucks.

“This was one of our more significant seizures,” McErlain said.

McErlain declined to elaborate on the investigation, which involved officers from Huntington Beach, Santa Ana, Anaheim, Buena Park and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Neira and Gonzalez are scheduled to appear in federal court in Los Angeles on Dec. 5.

More arrests are possible, McErlain said.