Investigators seize large drug stash from suspected Southern California narcotics dealer

Will Conybeare
·2 min read
5

A drug dealer who is alleged to have imported a large amount of narcotics into Ventura County was arrested this week, authorities said.

The investigation by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office’s Fentanyl and Overdose Crime Units (VC FOCUS) into a drug pipeline from the San Gabriel Valley to Ventura County began this past April and almost immediately resulted in an arrest of someone in Oxnard, authorities stated.

“Through diligent follow-up investigation, detectives were able to determine the source of supply for this drug dealer was Christian Tran of Temple City,” VCSO said.  “Over the next several months, detectives conducted multiple surveillance operations and confirmed that Tran was actively selling large amounts of narcotics.”

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Tran was arrested as he left his Temple City residence on Thursday.  He was arrested on a variety of charges, including possession for sales of controlled substances, felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a stolen firearm and sales of controlled substances.

Multiple search warrants were also served on Thursday; including the one at Tran’s residence in the 4800 block of El Monte Avenue in Temple City, warrants were also served in El Monte, San Gabriel, Irwindale and Rosemead.

Authorities seized almost two kilograms of fentanyl, over four pounds of methamphetamine, 18,000 counterfeit M30 (oxycodone) pills containing fentanyl, 734 Adderall pills and over 150 pounds of marijuana.

MDMA, psilocybin mushrooms and butane honey oil were also seized, VCSO said, as were four illegally possessed handguns and cash “derived from drug sales.”

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After being booked into the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility, Tran, 29, posted bail and was released, according to inmate search records.

His next court appearance is scheduled for July 25.

Anyone with information regarding the investigation should contact VC FOCUS by calling 705-383-8700 or by emailing VCFOCUS@ventura.org

More information regarding VC FOCUS and the County Overdose Awareness & Solutions Team (COAST) can be found here.

According to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department, fentanyl is 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin.

As little as two milligrams of fentanyl is considered to be a lethal dose, authorities stated; counterfeit M30 (oxycodone) pills like the one Tran had seized from him are highly abused and often contribute to overdoses within Ventura County, law enforcement officials said.

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