Over 1,200 pounds of methamphetamine was recovered by several local, state and federal law enforcement agencies Wednesday in Neenach, a community north of Santa Clarita.
Around 10:15 a.m. Wednesday, the Kern County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO), Kern County High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force (KC-HIDTA), along with agents from the FBI-Stockton, HSI- Bakersfield, DEA-Bakersfield, United States Border Patrol and detectives from the HIDTA-SHINE Initiative, executed a search warrant on a methamphetamine conversion lab operating at a large rural property in the 25000 block of Gaskell Road in the Neenach-Rosamond area of Kern County, KCSO officials said.
Members of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and Kern County Probation Department also assisted in the execution of the search warrant and the arrest of the subjects involved in operating the clandestine methamphetamine lab, according to officials.
“As units were approaching the property, surveillance units identified several known involved vehicles leaving the property,” KCSO officials said. “Members of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife were directed into the location of a late model Chevrolet Suburban, which had been identified previously in the investigation to conduct an enforcement stop.”
Game wardens conducted a traffic stop near 170th Street West and West Avenue A, according to officials.
Marcos Sandoval, 39, from Mexicali, Mexico was found to be the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle.
“A search of the vehicle revealed approximately 758 pounds of methamphetamine packaged and concealed in the passenger compartment of the vehicle,” KCSO officials said.
Detectives and agents arrived at the targeted property a short time later to execute the search warrant, according to officials.
When detectives arrived, they saw two men later identified as Edgar Bernal, 28 and Juan Gonzalez, 23, both from Mexicali, Mexico fleeing the property on foot into the rural mountain area, according to officials.
Both Bernal and Gonzalez were quickly apprehended without incident by members of the Kern County Probation Department, according to officials.
Members of the DEA-Western Laboratory, Kern County Environmental Health and KC-HIDTA assessed the hazards of the methamphetamine conversion lab and began processing the property for evidence while dismantling the conversion lab, according to officials with the KCSO.
“Detectives located and seized an additional 121 pounds of finished crystal methamphetamine and approximately 350 pounds of methamphetamine currently in a meth/ liquid solution state,” KCSO officials said.
In total, about 1,229 pounds of crystal and liquid meth were recovered.
Several rifles and handguns were also seized from the lab, according to officials.
This investigation resulted in the dismantling of a large-scale clandestine methamphetamine conversion lab/operation and was the result of a lengthy and collaborative investigation conducted by investigators with multiple agencies.
Kern County Code Compliance responded to the scene and discovered numerous building code violations. Based on the violations, the structures and outbuildings on the large property were deemed unsafe for occupancy and posted by Kern County Code Compliance.
The three suspects were arrested and booked into the Kern County Sheriff’s Office, Central Receiving Facility Jail for manufacturing a controlled substance, transportation of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of sales, possession of a controlled substance while being armed and conspiracy to commit a crime.
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Thank you law enforcement! Keep up the good work!
U fair to call this Neenach (LA County). It was WAY NORTH in Kern County, rural Rosamond.
Great nab and thankfully this is in Kern County where they have a law-abiding DA who the voters put in to follow the law, maintain law and order, and not be subservient to criminals like this.
The Lovely Lancaster area again