3 arrested after fentanyl, heroin and meth seized from Costa Mesa residence

Costa Mesa police on Wednesday arrested three individuals in connection with the seizure of fentanyl and several other illicit drugs from a residence on the 2300 block of Harbor Boulevard, officials reported Thursday.

As part of an ongoing investigation, detectives with the Costa Mesa Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit made contact with a man they suspected was selling the synthetic opioid fentanyl and arrested him after finding him in possession of the drug, according to a post on social media made by the department.

Officers later obtained and executed a warrant to search his residence, at which time they found another man, a woman and illegal drugs at the location, police reported. All three individuals — identified as Christopher Walker, 29, 33-year-old Alyssa Hayden and Justin Hoffman, 31, all of Costa Mesa — were arrested on suspicion of possessing a controlled substance for sale, CMPD spokeswoman Roxi Fyad confirmed on Monday.

Detectives ultimately seized 45 grams of fentanyl, 10 grams of methamphetamine, 2 grams of heroin, 12 prescription pills, drug paraphernalia, several hundred dollars in cash and a Taser baton.

Meanwhile, state lawmakers have been attempting to find legislative solutions to what appears to be a growing opioid crisis in California, where 3,946 fentanyl-involved deaths were recorded in 2020, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie Norris (D-Irvine) sponsored a bill, AB 2246, which would made possession of more than 2 grams of fentanyl punishable as a felony and would have allowed prosecutors to seek sentences of 20 years to life for anyone who sold fentanyl that resulted in a fatal overdose.

The bill failed to gain passage in the Assembly in April, but other proposals are ongoing, including AB 1628, from Assemblyman James Ramos (D-Highland), which would require companies such as Snapchat to implement policies that prohibit the sale of fentanyl and other controlled substances on social media platforms.

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