Photo courtesy Ventura County District Attorney's Office
VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. - A massive multi-agency narcotics investigation has taken five million potentially lethal doses of fentanyl off Southern California streets, uncovering a large-scale drug trafficking ring valued at an estimated $1.4 million.
What we know:
Four men—Jorge Humberto Valdivia, Angel Omar Azpeitia Garcia, Jorge Arturo Marquez Chavez, and Victor Manuel Otero Correa—were indicted by a federal grand jury on June 12, according to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
They face 17 federal counts following a large-scale investigation that originally began in Ventura County.
The initial bust, spearheaded by the Simi Valley Police Department’s Narcotics Unit with assistance from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), resulted in the seizure of:
- Approximately 24 pounds of fentanyl (representing an estimated five million potentially lethal doses)
- 18.75 pounds of methamphetamine
- 4.5 pounds of heroin
- One pound of cocaine
- More than $129,000 in cash, digital scales, and packaging materials
Because the federal government has assumed jurisdiction, the Ventura County District Attorney's Office officially dismissed its local charges on June 15.
The defendants now face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
What they're saying:
Senior Deputy District Attorney Audry Nafziger, who initially handled the case for Ventura County, emphasized the scale and danger of the operation.
"The amount of narcotics recovered in this case was staggering and posed a significant threat to public safety throughout Ventura County," Nafziger said. "Federal prosecution ensures these defendants face substantial consequences and reflects the seriousness of the conduct alleged."
The Source: This report is based on information provided by the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.