STATE A METH HOTBED, AGENTS SAY AFTER S.J. RAID

A raid on a San Jose drug lab that had the potential to churn out $3.5
million in methamphetamine is symptomatic of California's burgeoning
reputation as the meth capital of America, drug officials said Tuesday.

The state has become a hotbed for meth production because of evolving drug
networks that first distributed cocaine but have found it easier to move
crank, said Ron Brooks, special agent in charge, with the state Bureau of
Narcotic Enforcement.

The drug networks have found it easier to cook the methamphetamine in the
United States rather than trying to move it across the U.S. border, like
heroin, cocaine and marijuana.

Already California accounts for 80 to 85 percent of the meth made in the
nation, according to federal studies by the White House and the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Administration, Brooks said.

Last year, state narcotics agents raided 94 labs in San Jose. This year,
they have closed about 75.

On Monday, state agents and San Jose police descended on a canned food
warehouse on Stockton Avenue, confiscating eight pounds of meth worth about
$220,000, and enough precursor chemicals that would made another 125 pounds
of crank, worth an estimated $3.5 million.

The owner of the warehouse had been unaware of the activity because one of
the seven people arrested was an employee who had a key to the warehouse,
which is closed from Friday evening until Monday morning, Brooks said.

"We don't believe the business there was in any way involved," Brooks said.

The seven who were booked on suspicion of various drug charges were Gonzalo
Carrera Barragan, 24, who worked at the warehouse; Barragan's wife, Ana
Laura Carrera, 23; Alberto Cuevas Alvarez, 28; Miguel Cuevas, 37; Jesus
Maravilla, 25; Sergio Baltista, 24; and Alexander Corona, 35.

State agents and police also served a search warrant at Barragan's San Jose
home on South 10th Street, where they found $5,000 cash, an assault rifle
and a handgun.