Roundup: Oxnard man named in federal drug trafficking indictment, more
Here's a roundup of recent incidents and announcements from Ventura County agencies:
Federal indictment in meth case names Oxnard man
A federal grand jury indictment unsealed Tuesday in a methamphetamine trafficking case involving the so-called MS-13 street gang included an Oxnard man as one of two top defendants, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles.
The indictment names 23 alleged members and associates of the Mara Salvatrucha-13 transnational street gang who reportedly trafficked meth by the pound in Los Angeles County.
“MS-13, one of the largest and most violent gangs in North America, perpetuates a cycle of violence and destruction, the victims of which are most often immigrants from Central America and Mexico and other Latinos,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada in a statement. “The widespread methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy we have charged reveals that drug trafficking is the primary method MS-13 uses to finance its modus operandi of murder and mayhem.”
Tuesday's takedown included 17 arrests of suspects expected to be arraigned in federal court Tuesday afternoon, prosecutors said. Four other defendants were already in state custody and authorities were searching for two others.
One of two top defendants was identified as Pavel Hurtado, 36, of Oxnard, also known “Temper,” authorities said in a news release. Hurtado allegedly served as the overall shot-caller for MS-13 in Los Angeles during part of a period from July 2021 to August 2023. He and another top defendant reportedly oversaw the organization's drug trafficking activities and communicated with an imprisoned MS-13 member, who was also a member of the Mexican Mafia, to coordinate the gang's trafficking activities.
Hurtado's alleged activities took place only in Los Angeles County, not in Ventura County, said Ciaran McEvoy, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office. Hurtado was in custody as of Tuesday, he said in an email.
The indictment charges all 23 defendants with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute methamphetamine. Thirty-four of the 36 counts charge individual MS-13 members and associates — including Hurtado — with distribution of methamphetamine.
During searches Tuesday morning, authorities seized multiple pounds of suspected methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine. They also confiscated nine firearms and about $94,000 in cash, including approximately $50,000 seized from one residence.
Prosecutors said Mara Salvatrucha was formed in LA in the mid-1980s. The street gang is now comprised of tens of thousands of people in at least 10 states and several Central American countries, notably El Salvador. In the mid-1990s, MS became associated with the Mexican Mafia and added the number 13 to its name, authorities said, indicating M, the 13th letter of the Spanish and English alphabets.
The case is being investigated by the FBI's Los Angeles Metropolitan Task Force on Violent Gangs, which includes the FBI, LA city and county law enforcement agencies and federal Homeland Security Investigations. IRS and state corrections officials assisted.
Defendants, if convicted, could face a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison for the conspiracy charge. Distribution of meth is punishable by a maximum of life in federal prison.
Suspect flees into residential garage
A suspect fleeing from police in midtown Ventura Monday reportedly ran into an unlocked garage, prompting authorities to set up a perimeter in a residential neighborhood.
Shortly before 11:45 a.m., Ventura Police Department task force officers, along with detectives from the county's auto theft task force, spotted a vehicle reported stolen out of Santa Barbara in the 3000 block of East Main Street, Ventura police officials said in a news release. They caught up with the vehicle when the driver stopped for a traffic light at Telegraph and Mills roads.
The driver, later identified as a 32-year-old Oxnard man, fled on foot heading northbound on Mills before entering a neighborhood west of Mills. There, a resident on San Marino Avenue hailed officers, saying the suspect had gone into their unlocked garage.
Authorities set up a perimeter around the home and made verbal contact with the suspect, who initially refused to come out, according to police. Officers negotiated with the man while people in the home were evacuated. The suspect ultimately walked out of the garage and was taken into custody without incident.
Detectives who searched the suspect found property stolen from the victim's garage, police officials said. The man was treated for a minor head injury suffered when he fled from the stolen vehicle.
The man was arrested on suspicion of felony violations related to the stolen vehicle as well as burglary, prowling and resisting. He was booked into county jail with total bail set at $81,000.
Items may be updated.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Roundup: Oxnard man named in federal drug trafficking indictment, more
