7 Arrested in Raid on Methamphetamine Lab in Camarillo
State and county narcotics investigators uncovered a large “speed kitchen” Tuesday in rural Ventura County and confiscated more than 40 pounds of methamphetamine.
In the predawn raid, authorities arrested seven men, who police suspect were working with a Los Angeles County drug ring. The names of the suspects were not released.
Agents from the California Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement worked with members of VexNet--the Ventura/Oxnard police Narcotics Task Force--to track the suspects and monitor the farmhouse, said Gregg McClung, a supervising special agent with the state’s narcotics enforcement team.
Investigators said they found the methamphetamine--also known as speed or crank--packed into a cooler in a car at the house. Agents estimated that the cache would have been worth about $1.8 million to dealers.
Authorities believe the drug ring has been taking advantage of the vast open spaces of Ventura County, renting rural properties and occupying orchards to hide drug labs.
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