When California Department of Justice (DOJ) agents moved in on a suspect drug lab in the city of Hinkley in San Bernardino County, they hit a methamphetamine gold mine, finding 206 pounds of crystal meth and 250 gallons of liquid methamphetamine capable of producing 1,250 pounds of crystal meth. The street value is an estimated $7.2 million dollars. The bust did not stop there. Inside the home were two suspected drug dealers, Jorge Valdez, 34, and Miguel Angel Sanchez, 24, both of Hinkley.
"This case illustrates the very reason why the California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) and Attorney General Kamala Harris are working with state lawmakers to secure desperately needed money to fund task forces within DOJ," said CSLEA President Alan Barcelona. "It takes highly trained and skilled agents, specializing in the fight against narcotics, and special operations units to combat the drug making, the drug dealing, the drug rings, and the organized and violent crime in our state. California is a very large state and we simply don't have the number of special agents to combat the drug and violent crime within our borders."
DOJ task force agents and detectives from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department discovered the mass quantity of meth on May 28, 2014, after obtaining a search warrant and entering a home on Mountain View Road. What they uncovered was methamphetamine conversion lab.
“Methamphetamine is one of the most toxic drugs available, destroying the bodies and minds of countless people,” Attorney General Harris said. “California is the national epicenter of its trafficking and distribution, so I have made it a priority of the California Department of Justice’s task forces to stop those who would sell and manufacture this debilitating drug. This bust significantly reduces the amount of methamphetamine on our streets, and I thank the agents and partners who worked collaboratively to seize these drugs.”
Suspects Valdez and Sanchez were arrested and booked at the San Bernardino County Jail with bail set $1,000,000 each. Each of the men are charged with two felony counts for the manufacture and possession for sale of methamphetamine and are being prosecuted by the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office.
Agencies that participated in this operation include: The California Department of Justice, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, California Highway Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations.
