Police Raid Methamphetamine Lab; 2 Arrested

BUENA PARK — Tips about a flow of drugs into this city led local investigators into Los Angeles, where authorities discovered what they said was one of the largest methamphetamine labs in state history.

Police on Saturday arrested two men and seized 10 pounds of the concentrated, crystallized form of speed, known as “ice,” from a lab capable of producing 100 to 200 pounds a week, Buena Park Police Sgt. Ken Coovert said Monday.

Gary Hudson, special agent supervisor for the state Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, said: “This is probably the largest ice lab we’ve seen in Southern California and one of the two or three largest in the whole state.”

The lab was found in a three-story office building in the 2300 block of East Olympic Boulevard.

Javier Valdez, 27, of Maywood, was arrested at the lab, and his brother, Victor Manuel Valdez, 26, of Whittier, was arrested later during a search of his home.

The brothers were being held Monday without bail at the Los Angeles County jail on suspicion of drug manufacturing and trafficking. They may face federal drug indictments, Coovert said.

Investigators also seized $45,000 in cash, four vehicles and a stolen gun during searches of the lab and the home, Coovert said.

In addition to the 10 pounds of drug seized, investigators found about 90 pounds of the drug in an unfinished state, Coovert said.