SANTA ANA : 3 Arrested in Seizure of $1 Million in Meth

Federal drug agents on Friday announced the confiscation of an estimated $1-million worth of methamphetamine and the arrests of three Santa Ana men who are suspected of being major distributors of the drug.

The arrests, which authorities said was one of the largest of its kind in Orange County this year, followed a two-month undercover investigation by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.

“This is a lot, actually, for methamphetamine,” said agency spokesman Ralph Lochridge. “It definitely ranks as one of the top 10 (arrests) this year in the Southern California area.”

Manuel Solano, 32, Jesse Rocha, 27, and his brother, Miguel Rocha, 39, were arraigned Friday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on charges of possession and distribution of the drug, also known as speed or crank.

They were arrested Wednesday after allegedly selling 22.5 pounds of the drug to undercover agents at Jesse Rocha’s home in the 1800 block of Martha Lane. This followed an exchange of 6.5 pounds of the drug last month at Miguel Rocha’s home in the 1100 block of English Street in Santa Ana, Lochridge said.

Armed with search warrants, agents confiscated a total of 30.5 pounds of extremely high-grade methamphetamine, police said.

The Rocha brothers are members of a Santa Ana street gang, Lochridge said.

“I’d say this is the first we’ve seen where we have a direct tie to one of the gangs,” he said. Drug dealers are “not generally connected to street gangs.”

Authorities said they have not located the laboratory where the drug was produced, but they believe it is in Orange or Riverside county.

While marijuana and cocaine remain popular, methamphetamine is now the target of 80% of drug arrests, according to a survey conducted in February by the state Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement.

“The only thing we can say is that this ring has been put out of business,” Lochridge said. “At this point, I’m sure the void will be filled by other traffickers.”