RESEDA, ENCINO : 3 Seized in Drug, Counterfeit Ring
Two Reseda men and another from Encino were arrested with 22 pounds of cocaine and $1 million in counterfeit bills--the largest counterfeit seizure in Ventura County history--Ventura County sheriff’s detectives said Wednesday.
Counterfeit bills from the ring’s operations have recently surfaced in Simi Valley, Moorpark and San Francisco, as well as in Arizona and Nevada, said Ventura Sheriff’s Sgt. Gary Pentis.
Detectives arrested David Steinberg, 24, and Bob Lepore, 24, both of Reseda, and Ethan Siegel, 25, of Encino, during the sale of 22 pounds of cocaine in Newbury Park, Pentis said.
A multi-agency task force had been tracking Steinberg for months as a suspected drug wholesaler who allegedly supplied cocaine and marijuana to dealers in Ventura County and the San Fernando Valley, Pentis said.
Most of the drug dealers affiliated with Steinberg are from the San Fernando Valley, Pentis said. “They’ve hung together since they were little criminals in high school,” he said.
Pentis said the investigation is continuing and more arrests are expected.
Officers also seized a 12-gauge shotgun, a .22-caliber automatic pistol and three 9mm pistols.
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