VENTURA : 2 Men Arrested in Cocaine Seizure

Federal, Ventura and Oxnard narcotics agents arrested two men in the parking lot of a Ventura shopping center and seized 8.8 pounds of cocaine after a two-week investigation, authorities said.

Additional search warrants were served for suspects in Los Angeles after the arrests Wednesday, said Special Agent John Marcello of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.

The men arrested are believed to be Mexican nationals in this country illegally, Marcello said.

One of the men identified himself as Manuel Beltran Felix, 21, but did not tell officers where he lives, Marcello said. The man said he was born in Mexico City and was unemployed, but he carried no identification, Marcello said.

The other man identified himself as Jose Gonzalo Montenegro, 19. He told arresting officers that he is a Los Angeles dishwasher, Marcello said. The man said he also was born in Mexico.

The two were arrested about 1:45 p.m. in the parking lot of K mart in the 1700 block of Victoria Avenue, where undercover officers from Ventura, Oxnard and the DEA had arranged to buy four kilograms of cocaine, Marcello said.

Although no money was exchanged, undercover agents had negotiated to purchase the cocaine for at least $50,000, Ventura police Sgt. Bill Bogner said.

Suspects told officers that they were able to deliver amounts of cocaine in excess of 12 kilos, Bogner said. “Anybody who can handle 12 kilos is considered a big-time operator,” he said.

The undercover investigation originated in Ventura County with a series of meetings with suspected cocaine suppliers, Marcello said.