News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 26, 2006
Contact: Special Agent Dan Simmons
Public Information Officer
(858) 616-4166

North County Drug Trafficking Ring Dismantled
Drug Sales Negotiated From Rehab Located in San Diego

October 26, 2006 - This morning agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and task force officers assigned to the San Diego County Narcotic Task Force (NTF) executed four state search warrants and 12 arrest warrants as part of a year-long investigation into wholesale methamphetamine dealing in North County San Diego.

DEA SAC John S. Fernandes said, “It speaks of the sheer grip that methamphetamine has on those are involved with this poison when you consider that one of the methamphetamine traffickers in this case was in rehab, text messaging the undercover agent to explain that she could not meet the agent to sell meth right away because she was currently attending group therapy for her own methamphetamine addiction.”

A majority of the individuals charged in this case represent persons already on probation or parole for drug offenses and are considered to be substantial street-level methamphetamine dealers whose illicit activities have been a blight on several communities for some time. The warrants were served in the communities of San Marcos, Vista and San Ysidro. Additional amounts of methamphetamine and cash were seized at one of the warrant locations.

Today’s efforts also included a search of the home of one of the ring’s principal suppliers in San Ysidro, California.

Charges for those arrested this morning will likely include possession of methamphetamine and possession of methamphetamine for sale as well as any additional charges related to probation and parole violations.