THOUSAND OAKS – All three suspects connected to the non-fatal overdose of a Thousand Oaks resident in December have now been arrested.  The overdose involved heroin and occurred on December 10, 2017.  Deputies from the Thousand Oaks Police Station responded and then called the Ventura County Interagency Pharmaceutical Crimes Unit to investigate who supplied the heroin to the victim of the non-fatal overdose.

Investigators identified the three individuals suspected of providing heroin to the overdose victim as Kevin Noriega, Mantej Sunner and Hannah Madden.

On December 28th, 2017, Noriega was located in the city of Port Hueneme and arrested for sales of a controlled substance and a parole violation. Noriega was interviewed and, according to a Ventura County Sheriff’s Office press release, admitted to the violation.

On January 18th, 2018, Sunner and Madden were located in Los Angeles County and arrested.  A search of both subjects revealed a large amount of heroin and money, believed to be the proceeds of their illegal sales of controlled substances. In addition,a fraudulent prescription was located in the wallet belonging to Madden. Sunner and Madden were interviewed and, according to a Ventura County Sheriff’s Office press release, admitted to their part in this crime.

Sunner was arrested for possession for sale of a controlled substance, sales of a controlled substance and a local felony warrant. Madden was arrested for sales of a controlled substance and possession of a fraudulent prescription.

The Ventura County Interagency Pharmaceutical Crimes Unit is a task force made up of members from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, Thousand Oaks Police Department, the California Highway Patrol, the Ventura Police Department, the Simi Valley Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and investigators in the Department of Consumer Affairs Health Quality Investigation Unit and the California Department of Health Care Services.

“Bringing a team of highly qualified law enforcement officers together and combining their resources and expertise is paying off for Ventura County residents,” said California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) President Alan Barcelona.  “These deputies, officers and investigators are putting a dent in drug trafficking, including the illegal use of prescription drugs.”

The primary mission of the task force is combatting the transfer of legal prescription medication to the illegal market. In addition, the task force works to identify and stop new trends of abuse among the younger population and investigates overdoses due to both prescription medication and illicit drug use.