$6M IN HEROIN SEIZED EN ROUTE CENTRAL VALLEY

A coalition of drug task forces have seized more than $6 million worth of
black-tar heroin in Southern California that was en route to the Central
Valley.

The Modesto-based Stanislaus Drug Enforcement Agency collaborated with
Southern California drug task-force officials in the seizure Tuesday in
Garden Grove.

Stanislaus DEA Sgt. Bryan Markum said it was the "largest black-tar heroin
seizure stemming from a narcotics investigation in the state of California."

"No one has ever seen that much," said Markum, who noted that the task
force usually gets big seizures near the Mexican borders.

The enforcement agency also worked with the Stanislaus/San Joaquin/ Merced
County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area unit. The task forces recovered
22 pounds, or 10 kilos, of black-tar heroin in a hidden compartment in the
gas tank of a black Nissan Maxima.

San Joaquin County sheriff's spokesman Joe Herrera said the same drug
cartels have been smuggling various narcotics to this area for more than 40
years now.

"(Traffickers) have been very difficult to infiltrate," Herrera said.

George Feicht, a San Joaquin County Alcohol and Drug Program administrator,
said black-tar heroin has been a big issue in the county.

"Black tar is a big problem here, and the quality is fairly decent," Feicht
said. "(Heroin use) has gone up tremendously in the last few years. We used
to have about six to nine heroin-related deaths in the year, and for the
last three or four years now, we've had about 50."

The Stanislaus County-based task force received information from Los
Angeles agents that a large heroin shipment was coming to the Central
Valley. Officials then headed for L.A. on Monday to identify the shipment
prior to its arrival.

"We were led to believe that the shipment was coming to Stanislaus County,"
Stanislaus DEA Sgt. Tim David said.

Task force officials were able to identify the residences of Pedro Vela,
29, and Salvador Gutierez, 18, both of Garden Grove, and a vehicle involved
in the heroin deal.

After the suspects' residences were searched, task forces discovered two
freshly dug areas on the properties. They uncovered 26 kilos of cocaine, at
an estimated street-value of $5.7 million, and an additional eight more
kilos of heroin, street-valued at $6.1 million.

Vela and Gutierez were arrested on allegations of drug trafficking and were
booked in Orange County Jail.

To reach reporter Danielle Samaniego, phone 943-8580