A search for a parolee at-large Tuesday uncovered a “large-scale” narcotics operation in Saugus, officials said. 

At around 1 p.m. Tuesday, investigators with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Operation Safe Streets (OSS) Bureau were conducting a “parolee at-large” operation near Arriola Avenue and Caceras Street in Saugus.

“We were looking for a parolee at-large, we discovered his location and during the course of that, we happened upon a large scale narcotics operation,” said Sgt. Daniel Welle with OSS. 

Operation Safe Streets, commonly known as the gang unit, is also tasked with parole compliance, according to the Sargent. 

Deputies were able to take the parolee into custody, along with several other suspects in connection with the narcotics operation, according to Welle. 

Devon Miller / KHTS News

The Operation

While watching the Saugus house where the at-large parolee was located, law enforcement witnessed what was believed to be drug activity, according to Sheriff’s officials. 

A suspect matching the description of the wanted parolee left the house and traveled down Bouquet Canyon Road, with deputies following in-tow.

After calling for backup, deputies conducted a traffic stop near the corner of Bouquet Canyon and Seco Canyon Roads, according to investigators. 

The parolee at-large was not in the vehicles that were pulled over, but deputies took several other individuals into custody, Welle said. 

Several bags of what appeared to be possible narcotics were recovered from the traffic stop, according to witnesses on scene. 

Law enforcement then converged on the Saugus home, with guns drawn, and took the parolee at-large and multiple others into custody, according to Welle. 

The investigation is ongoing and more details are expected to be released. 

Devon Miller / KHTS News

The Unit

The OSS Bureau was created in 1979 in response to escalating gang violence at the time, and is now staffed with more than 200 personnel assigned to 12 stations across the county, where they assist in local, state and federal gang task-force operations.

However, recent proposed budget cuts by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors would reduce the LASD budget by over $145 million, which would completely eliminate the OSS Bureau, as well as several other units within the department, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva.

“These cuts come at a time when jails were de-populated of over five thousand inmates in order to combat the COVID-19 pandemic,” Villanueva said in a statement. “Now that restrictions are lifting, violent crimes, such as murder, are on the rise across the County and other metropolitan areas such as New York City and Chicago. Now is not the time to cut vital law enforcement services, that should be the last thing cut.”

See Related: L.A. County Budget Cuts Include $145.4 Million From Sheriff’s Department

The budget cuts were announced across the board for County departments and services to address the projected $953 million budget gap caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“These proposed cuts are not intended to penalize any department, or to diminish the importance of their work,” said Chief Executive Officer Sachi A. Hamai in a statement Monday. “Rather, these curtailments are part of an equitable process of cost reductions that will affect all County departments.

A Supplemental Budget is expected to be presented to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in September.

Ed. Note: Michael Brown contributed to this article.

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