OXNARD : Police Arrest 10 Suspected Drug Dealers

Capping a six-week undercover investigation this weekend, Oxnard Police narcotics detectives have arrested 10 suspected street dealers of rock cocaine in the La Colonia neighborhood of Oxnard.

The suspected small-time dealers operated along East 1st Street in what police described as an “open air market” for drugs. Brazenly standing in packs of five or 10 along the residential street, the dealers openly solicited passers-by, police said.

The operation consisted of almost 80 hours of surveillance. Using photographs and evidence from undercover drug buys, the police obtained warrants to arrest 17 suspected dealers Friday.

Seven additional suspects are expected to be arrested in the next several days, said Sgt. Michael Matlock of the Oxnard Narcotics Unit. But Matlock said that despite the large numbers of arrests, drug dealing along 1st Street is likely to continue.

“Other dealers will probably be out there tomorrow,” Matlock said Friday just before the first wave of arrests, “but so will we.”

The six-week program was made possible through a “weed-and-seed” grant targeted specifically for the La Colonia neighborhood. The $363,500 federal grant will be used over an 18-month period on a two-pronged approach to ridding La Colonia of drugs.

Half of the program consists of stepped up law enforcement operations such as the sweep this past weekend. The other half consists of a counseling program for juveniles in the Oxnard school system. Organizers hope at least 400 high school students will complete the counseling program.

Oxnard police said they plan to continue increased patrols in the neighborhood and have plans for more undercover operations.

The grant also allowed the Oxnard police to assign one detective full time to the area for undercover operations. That detective, Bob Camarillo, said youths in the area are sent the wrong message when little is done about drug dealing. He expects publicity surrounding the arrests will discourage kids from becoming involved in dealing drugs.

“They’re so open because the heat’s been off them for awhile. That’s why we want the publicity on these arrests,” Camarillo said. “We want everyone to know when they sell drugs they could be selling to an undercover cop.”