4 Arrested in Drug Case; Heroin Seized

Police have arrested four people and seized 4 1/2 ounces of tar heroin, with a street value of $12,000, to cap a multi-agency investigation into narcotics sales in Oxnard and Santa Paula, authorities said.

The three men and one woman were arrested after two of the suspects were followed from Santa Paula to a house in the 1900 block of O’Neill Street in Oxnard. Police used a search warrant and found drugs in the home, they said.

Members of the Ventura County Narcotics Enforcement Team, the state Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department participated in the operation.

Santiago Jimenez Mendoza, 50, of Oxnard and Lourdes Garcia Rodriguez, 23, of Oxnard were followed late Wednesday by police to the residence.

Mendoza was arrested on suspicion of sale of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance for sale. He was held in Ventura County Jail in lieu of $25,000 bail, which included $5,000 for violating an earlier probation.

Rodriguez was arrested on suspicion of possessing a controlled substance for sale. She posted $20,000 bail and was released Thursday, according to jail officials.

At the house, police arrested 21-year-old Domingo Naranjo of Oxnard on an outstanding misdemeanor warrant for failure to appear in court. He was later released from jail, an official said.

Ruben Marquez Heredia, 45, of Oxnard also was arrested in the operation. Heredia was booked on suspicion of possessing a controlled substance for sale, and his bail was set at $20,000.