The SAPD raided an illegal gambling operation masquerading as a smoke shop at the 2031 block of E. First St. in Santa Ana early this morning, at about 7 am, according to their Twitter feed.
The operation housed a good number of video machines used for illegal gambling.
Unfortunately for that area this gambling den was also attracting drug trafficking and prostitution.
The SAPD indicated that more information about this raid would be made available later today.
Santa Ana, Calif. (October 25, 2019) – Today the County of Orange has prevailed in its lawsuit against the Orange County Needle Exchange Program (OCNEP) and is now entitled to Judgment against the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) on the County’s claim under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
“This is an incredible victory for the County of Orange and the citizens of Orange County,” said Chairwoman Lisa Bartlett, Fifth District. “The state of California will now need to comply with its own laws and we can better ensure that the safety and health of our residents can be preserved.”
As a result of this legal determination, and because the CDPH did not comply with CEQA when it approved the OCNEP application, the County will be entitled to a writ of mandate compelling the CDPH to vacate its approval of the drug needle mobile giveaway in the cities of Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Orange, and Santa Ana.
“The state failed to do its due diligence and comply with its own environmental laws when it approved the Orange County Needle Exchange Program,” said Vice Chair Michelle Steel, Second District. “State officials ignored the pleas of local leaders and decided to prioritize easy access to needles for drug addicts over the health and safety of our communities.”
On June 5, 2018 then Chairman Do and then Supervisor Steel jointly presented item S29C to officially oppose OCNEP’s needle exchange. On August 3, 2018 a special meeting of the Board of Supervisors was held, with all then Supervisors voting to sue the state of California after the California Department of Public Health approved OCNEP’s program despite the Board’s objections.
“OCNEP’s needle exchange program was dangerous and created hazardous conditions for all of Orange County’s residents,” said Supervisor Andrew Do, First District. “Today’s victory means safer and cleaner streets while requiring the state of California to comply with its own statutes.”
In today’s ruling, Judge Wohlfeil determined that the needle exchange program is a “project” subject to review under CEQA, saying “…there is a possibility that the project will result in an increase in used needle litter, a biohazard. This constitutes a tangible change in the areas surrounding operation of the [needle exchange program].”
“The former Board of Supervisors was correct in filing its lawsuit against the state of California,” said Supervisor Donald P. Wagner, Third District. “All of our residents will be assured a safer and more secure Orange County as a result of today’s decision.”
The County will also be entitled to recover its attorneys’ fees from the CDPH. Future CDPH authorizations for needle exchange programs across California should now be subject to review under CEQA before CDPH approval may be granted.
“I’m happy to see that the court ruled in the County’s favor regarding the needle exchange program,” said Fourth District Supervisor Doug Chaffee. “This is a safety issue for all of our residents.”
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department has deployed new proactive efforts to reverse the increase in drug trafficking that has been experienced within the four county-run jail facilities in Orange County over the last eight years.
Many factors have contributed to the increase in attempts to smuggle drugs into county jail. Most notably, California Assembly Bill 109 (AB109), enacted in October 2011, shifted the supervision of lower-level felons from the state prison system to county sheriffs’ and probation departments. More commonly known as Realignment, AB109 was aimed at quickly reducing the California state prison population.
In reality, AB109 has filled county jails across the state with felons, now serving their time at facilities that were not designed to house inmates serving long-term sentences. County jails were intended to house inmates who are awaiting trial, or whose sentences were less than one year. With AB109, county jails now house a mix of short term inmates and those serving multi-year sentences. This combination of low-level offenders and career criminals creates a marketplace for drug activity hindered only by security measures employed by OCSD.
“There is a sophisticated criminal element inside of our jails doing everything they can to deliberately circumvent our security procedures,” said Orange County Sheriff-Coroner Don Barnes. “These state-prisoners-turned-county-inmates are more criminally sophisticated, increasing both the amount of contraband inside of Orange County Jails and inmate assaults on staff. This is a statewide challenge that we are all dealing with. It is important for the public to know the reality of these problems and the consequence of poor public policy.”
Since AB 109 took effect in 2011, there has been a substantial increase in drugs and drug contraband inside Orange County’s jails. From 2008-2011, there were an average of 57 seizures of drugs in jail per year. From 2012-2017, the five years after the implementation of AB 190, that number ballooned to an average of 468 seizures per year, with 2017 hitting an all-time high of 738 seizures of drugs with the jail system.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department efforts to reduce contraband include a variety of strategies and alterations to policy. In July, limitations were placed on certain types of mail that will no longer be allowed to be sent to inmates. In 2019 alone, custody canines have alerted to 147 greeting cards containing narcotics mailed to inmates, with the majority of the cards soaked in methamphetamine.
From January 1- March 31, 2019, 35 individuals being booked into jail have attempted to enter with narcotics concealed on or in their person. These concealed narcotics consisted of fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, marijuana, or prescription medications.
Searches of cells are conducted regularly and randomly, and inmates are searched when first booked into jail, and after they attend court. Body scanners, similar to those used at airports, have been added at the Intake Release Center to ensure that inmates are not coming into the jail facility with drugs hidden on or inside their person. Trained custody canines search cells and the mail room and are trained to detect cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana, Suboxone, and other contraband. In 2018, custody canines located and seized drugs and contraband 291 times. In 2019 thus far, they have found 203 items, including more than 14 grams of cocaine and 282 Suboxone strips.
Assaults by Orange County Jail inmates have increased exponentially since implementation of AB109. Prior to AB 109, from 2007 to 2011, there was an average of 26.8 inmate-on-staff assaults per year. From 2012 to 2017, there was an average of 64.5 inmate assaults on staff per year – a 140-percent increase. Inmate-on-inmate assaults are increasing as well. From 2007 to 2011, there was an average of 334 inmate-on-inmate assaults per year. From 2012 to 2017, there was an average of 745 inmate-on-inmate assaults per year – a 123 percent increase.
In 2017, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department began a program to reduce the number of overdose deaths, both in custody and in the community, by training deputies to deploy Nalaxone, an opioid antagonist designed to rapidly reverse opioid overdose. From January 1-July 1, 2019, 28 inmates have received Nalaxone within Orange County Jails, setting the pace to at least double Nalaxone deployments from custody operations last year.
“The safety and security of those in our custody is one of the main tenets of our duty as a sheriff’s department,” said Sheriff Barnes. “We will never stop implementing innovative ideas, deploying new strategies, and educating the community to do everything we can to keep those both in our custody and within our communities safe.”
Santa Ana police arrested two suspects early this morning, who they say fled from officers in a stolen car after they stole marijuana plants and then crashed into an unoccupied house in Garden Grove, according to the O.C. Register.
At about 2 a.m. officers near Hazard Avenue and Euclid Street saw a car speeding. They tried to pull the driver over at about 2:15 a.m., according to KABC.
However the police lost sight of the suspect’s car and then finally noticed that the driver had crashed into a home at the 10400 block of West Hazard in Garden Grove, according to the SAPD.
The suspects took off on foot, leaving their damaged vehicle. The police officers then set up a perimeter and began to search for them. Local residents informed the police officers that the suspects were hiding in a backyard. They were both arrested.
One of the suspects, a juvenile, was determined to have been a passenger in the car. He was arrested and then taken to a local hospital for treatment of injuries incurred in the crash.
The police officers found two replica handguns in the car as well as several marijuana plants. The passenger admitted that they had stolen the plants from a house in Santa Ana. In Santa Ana residents can legally grow certain types of marijuana grows in their homes.
The police arrested the driver, an unidentified adult. He was arrested on suspicion of grand theft auto, petty theft and driving under the influence.
The police officers later found the owner of the marijuana plants who said the suspects jumped over his fence and stole the plants from his backyard.
SANTA ANA POLICE STEP UP DUI ENFORCEMENT
The Santa Ana Police Department will be conducting a DUI / Driver’s License checkpoint on Friday May 10th, 2019. It will begin at 9:00PM and is scheduled to conclude at 2:00AM. It will be conducted in the area of 2000 W. First Street, in the City of Santa Ana.
The primary purpose of a DUI Checkpoint is to deter impaired driving, not to increase arrests. All too often, members of our community are senselessly injured or killed on local roadways by impaired drivers. This DUI / Driver’s License checkpoint is an effort to reduce those tragedies, as well as ensuring drivers have a valid driver’s license. The DMV reports that unlicensed drivers are 4.9 times more likely to cause a fatal crash than a licensed driver is.
The checkpoint will be staffed by officers trained in the detection of alcohol and drug impairment to provide on-the-spot assessments of drivers suspected of alcohol or drug impairment. All checkpoints are conducted in accordance with the guidelines for DUI checkpoint operations outlined in the California Supreme Court decision, Ingersoll v. Palmer.
All vehicles may be checked and drivers who are under the influence of alcohol and / or drugs will be arrested. Our objective is to send a clear message to those who are considering driving a motor vehicle after consuming alcohol and / or drugs – Drunk Driving, Over the Limit, Under Arrest. The public is encouraged to help keep roadways safe by calling 911 if they see a suspected impaired driver. Funding for this operation is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
A police pursuit that started in San Clemente ended with a car crash in Santa Ana after a driver fled from Federal agents, according to the O.C. Register.
Federal agents tried to stop the suspect, who was in a white four-door sedan, at about 8:40 a.m., on Interstate 5 near the Customs and Border Patrol station that’s just south of San Clemente. But the driver sped off due north and led enforcement officers on a high speed chase.
The suspect was tracked by an O.C. Sheriff’s helicopter but then the suspect evaded the pursuers. But a Fountain Valley police officer spotted the suspect vehicle as it was racing on Harbor Blvd. at about 9:06 a.m.
The Fountain Valley policeman was writing a ticket at the time but he reported that the suspect was going very fast, due north, in southbound lanes. That officer then tried to pursue the suspect.
The suspect finally struck a curb and crashed near Harbor Blvd. and 1st St., according to the SAPD. Fortunately no other vehicles or pedestrians were involved in the crash.
Unfortunately the suspect was long gone when the police officers arrived at the scene of the crash. Police investigators however did find 20 kilograms, or about 44 pounds, of possible narcotics. The drugs were sent to a lab for analysis. A police detective thought the drugs might either fentanyl or cocaine.
Fountain Valley police officers conducted a traffic stop Thursday night at Newhope and Heil for a traffic violation. Officers contacted the occupants and determined the driver was on probation. Officers then searched the vehicle and found illegal drugs and evidence of drug sales.
The driver, 44-year old Adolpho Delgado of Fountain Valley, was arrested for sales and transportation of meth and heroin along with other charges. The passenger, 21-year old Kayla Steele of Huntington Beach, was arrested for possession of illegal drugs.
Officers conducted a probation search at Delgado’e residence and found additional evidence. In total, Officers seized 53 grams of methamphetamine, 4 grams of heroin, other prescription drugs, indicia of drug sales, a military “flak” jacket, replica firearms, and brass knuckles.
Geoffrey William Bicking
SAPD Collision Investigation Unit Handling Fatal Auto Vs Ped. Collision – 1500 Block N. Main Street
Decedent: Female (31) San Jose, CA
Suspect: Geoffrey William Bicking (45) Buena Park
On Thursday, December 6th, 2018 at approximately 9:56 AM, the Santa Ana Police Department responded to the intersection of E. 15th and N. Main Street in regards to a reported traffic collision involving three vehicles and a pedestrian, a grey Chevy Malibu, white Ford Ranger and black Mercedes Benz. The female adult pedestrian was in her early 30’s.
Upon arrival, officers found all vehicles involved in the collision were in the middle of the intersection. The adult female was lying on the northwest corner of 15th and Main Street suffering from severe injuries. Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) personnel responded and treated all parties involved for their injuries. The adult female was transported to OC Global to be treated for her injuries. She suffered upper body trauma to her chest and head. She later succumb to to her injuries. The other parties involved in the collision declined the need for further medical attention. Continue reading
Roman Reyna supports free drug needles
Court Stops Needle Giveaway in Orange County
Santa Ana, California – The Superior Court ruled in favor of Orange County to stop the state-approved needle giveaway.
The Court found the harm of the needle giveaway to the public outweighed the social effectiveness of the Orange County Needle Exchange Program (OCNEP), enjoining the California Department of Public Health and OCNEP from operating the needle exchange program in Orange County. Continue reading
NEWS, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Orange County Sheriff’s Department Awarded DUID Enhanced Testing Grant
SANTA ANA, Ca. (Nov. 2, 2018) – The Orange County Sheriff’s Department – OC Crime Lab has been awarded a $316,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) for training and enhanced DUID testing.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department will use the funding to efficiently test all blood samples collected in DUI investigations for the presence of drugs, regardless of the blood alcohol concentration (BAC). Continue reading
The Resolutions Committee of the Democratic Party of Orange County passed a resolution calling on Santa Ana to restore approval for the Orange County Needle Exchange Program (OCNEP) back in February of this year. And now the Democrats are backing only the Santa Ana City Council candidates who are promoting passing out drug needles in our community.
The City Council candidates who have said, on the record, that they support passing out drug needles in Santa Ana, include Roman Reyna, Ward 4; Nelida Mendoza, Ward 6 and Paul Gonzales, Ward 2. Of those Mendoza and Gonzales are endorsed by the Democratic Party of Orange County – even though there are other Democrats running for the wards in question. (They would have backed Reyna too but he screwed up so much while he was trying to carpetbag in Ward 4 that the Democrats had to take a hard pass). Continue reading
Nemesio Ruben Oseguera-Cervantes
BUREAU OF INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AFFAIRS
WANTED: NEMESIO RUBEN OSEGUERA-CERVANTES
Nemesio Ruben Oseguera-Cervantes is the alleged founder and current leader of the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), a major drug trafficking organization (DTO) based in Jalisco, Mexico. CJNG and Oseguera-Cervantes rose to power around 2009 as the leader of the Valencia/Milenio Cartel began to lose power. Oseguera-Cervantes took advantage of this lull in leadership, and joined the Los Cuinis DTO to fight off competition for the control of the Jalisco, Nayarit, and Colima drug distribution networks. Continue reading
Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, October 16, 2018
SANTA ANA, California – Federal authorities this morning arrested eight defendants named in a grand jury indictment that alleges a scheme to send methamphetamine to Hawaii, including nearly 12 kilograms of narcotics made to look like decorative Aztec calendars and statues.
Today’s arrests follow the filing of a seven-count indictment on October 10. A ninth defendant charged in the indictment was already in federal custody on an unrelated case. Continue reading
One of our readers reported that her 2-year old toddler found a Xanax pill while playing in the sand at El Salvador Park in Santa Ana. As it turns out it is possible that pill contained Fentanyl, which could be fatal to a toddler.
For years now Santa Ana’s parks have steadily gone downhill. Their bathrooms are disgusting. They often have burned out lights. And they are rampant with vagrants and worse. Continue reading
NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Self-identified police officer from Mexico arrested for transporting more than 50 lbs. of meth
SANTA ANA, Ca. (October 10, 2018)- On October 9, 2018, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Highway Interdiction Team initiated a traffic stop for vehicle code violations on the northbound I-5 freeway between Orange and San Diego counties. The driver, Miguel Patron, 41, Ensenada, identified himself, stated he was a police officer in Mexico and handed the deputy his police identification. Patron was extremely nervous and several criminal indicators were identified by the deputy conducting the traffic stop. Continue reading