Police arrested 49-year-old Jose Munoz in Santa Maria on May 26 on an outstanding warrant for selling methamphetamine, capping a years-long investigation by county and federal officials into the sales of guns and drugs in the Santa Maria Valley, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
Munoz was one of 38, most of whom are from the Santa Maria Valley, arrested during the course of the “complex” investigation. Those arrested are facing state and federal charges, according to Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Kelly Hoover. She added that some also face allegations of gang violations.
The announcement was made by police on June 3. During the investigation, agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms bought guns and narcotics from several people in the area.
In addition to the arrests, police seized 45 guns, 11,109 rounds of ammunition, 14.6 pounds of methamphetamine, 2.1 pounds of heroin, 167 grams of cocaine, and $84,698 worth of currency.
The drugs had a combined street value of more than $786,000, according to Hoover.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Internal Revenue Service also aided in the investigation.
This article appears in Jun 9-16, 2016.