SIMI VALLEY : 4 Men Arrested in Drug Investigation

Simi Valley detectives arrested four men and seized 11 pounds of a white powder that the men said was cocaine and had offered for sale, authorities said Wednesday.

Undercover officers had negotiated to buy five kilograms of cocaine from the men for an undisclosed amount of money, said Simi Valley Police Lt. Bob Klamser. Only after the arrests did police learn that the powder packed in five bags was not cocaine, he said.

“It was basically an attempted rip-off,” said Simi Valley Police Sgt. John Wilcox.

The arrests took place Tuesday evening in the parking lot of a small shopping center at Stearns Street and Los Angeles Avenue and culminated a two-week undercover investigation, Wilcox said.

Arrested on suspicion of sales in lieu of cocaine were Jonathon Ornelaz, 19, of Simi Valley, John Giatti, 19, of Sylmar, and German Miranda, 20, and Alberto Morales, 19, both of North Hollywood.

Simi Valley detectives who made the arrests were assisted by investigators with the district attorney’s office and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department.

The suspects were not armed, Klamser said.

“These suspects were lucky they sold to police,” Klamser said. “Normally, those who can buy in that quantity are going to test its purity and don’t react very well to this type of attempt.”