CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : CHULA VISTA : 3 Suspects, Drugs Seized in Search

A four-month investigation of a Chula Vista drug ring ended with three arrests and the seizure of hundreds of pounds of cocaine and marijuana estimated to be worth $5 million, authorities said. Narizo Gonzalez-Rios, 42, of Tijuana, the ring’s alleged leader, and Pedro Gil Martinez, 51, his alleged principal negotiator, were arrested during a search of Martinez’s home in Chula Vista, said San Diego Police Lt. Skip Dicerchio, spokesman for the Narcotics Task Force, an enforcement unit made up of local and federal officials. A 17-year-old male, armed with a .38-caliber handgun, was arrested shortly before the search as he attempted to deliver 22 pounds of cocaine to undercover task force agents, Dicerchio said. Seized during the task force’s third major drug bust of the year were 635 pounds of cocaine, 100 pounds of marijuana, and several automatic handguns and rifles.