11 Arrested in Narcotics Cases

Police arrested 11 suspects in Port Hueneme and Santa Paula on a variety of narcotics charges stemming from neighborhood complaints and other investigations.

The suspects, ages 27 to 45, were arrested on Friday in the 400 block of Corvette Street in Port Hueneme and Tuesday in the 100 block of Garcia Street in Santa Paula.

The Port Hueneme residence had been under surveillance by narcotics detectives from the Sheriff’s Department and the Ventura Police Department, said Capt. Dennis Carpenter of the sheriff’s narcotics unit.

The eight arrested in Port Hueneme on Friday were booked on suspicion of transporting a controlled substance and being under the influence, Carpenter said. During a search of the residence, authorities found a small amount of methamphetamine, scales and other drug paraphernalia.

The drugs seized were worth less than $50, said Sheriff’s Sgt. Bob Garcia. “All but one of them were under the influence, so we went in there and searched and only found quantities for personal use,” he said. “We didn’t find quantities typically found on dealers.”

In the Santa Paula case, neighbors’ complaints led detectives to obtain a search warrant that resulted in the arrests of three people on suspicion of selling cocaine, being under the influence of a controlled substance and possession of narcotics paraphernalia. One also was arrested on an outstanding warrant.

Less than $60 worth of cocaine, which appeared packaged for street sale, was confiscated, Carpenter said.

All 11 suspects were booked into the Ventura County Jail with bail amounts ranging from $1,000 to $50,000, he said.

“This is not a big drug bust,” he said. “This is street-level, which is normally smaller amounts.”