POLICE SEIZE HEROIN IN BUST

$1.2 Million in Drugs Found During Raid

Police seized nine pounds of heroin worth $1.2 million from an East
San Jose residence during the weekend, underscoring a disturbing
trend that has seen San Jose become a way station for large drug shipments.

Several people have been arrested so far in connection with selling
heroin in the latest case, said San Jose police Capt. Diane Urban, of
the department's special operations division.

A tip to police Saturday triggered the raid, which also yielded
payment records for more than 100 pounds of heroin and vehicles that
police said were used to smuggle heroin into the country from Mexico.

Citing the ongoing investigation, Urban declined to give the address
of the residence or the exact number or names of those arrested.

"Clearly, we're not dealing with some sort of small-time operation,"
Urban said. "We're dealing with something on a much grander scale."

The bust is symptomatic of large caches of illicit drugs coursing
through the South Bay on their way to other points, U.S. Drug
Enforcement Administration officials said.

One reason San Jose has become a distribution point for heroin is
because some drug organizations have contacts here, said DEA Special
Agent Casey McEnry.

In September 2004, Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement
officials intercepted 41 1/2 pounds of black tar heroin that was
being moved from San Jose to Redwood City, McEnry said.

Black tar heroin is derived from the dark sap of poppy buds. The drug
can have a tar-like texture or can resemble a lump of coal. Its dark
color and consistency is the result of crude processing methods. The
substance can be smoked or injected since it dissolves in water.

Heroin generally sells for about $100 a gram, but the street value
can vary greatly depending on the purity of the particular batch, McEnry said.

Last month, federal customs agents seized 36.7 pounds of heroin at a
South San Jose home. Two men were arrested on suspicion of conspiring
to distribute heroin and possessing it. They face a mandatory minimum
sentence of 10 years in prison.

Federal court records illustrate how the drugs in that case were
moved from Mexico to the South Bay.

The case began March 1 when a customs and border agent stopped a 1992
BMW at the Nogales, Ariz., port of entry. Behind the wheel was Miguel
Saavedra-Serrato.

A drug dog named Trouble alerted agents to the possibility of drugs
in the car, federal court documents say. Agents found black tar
heroin inside a car compartment. Saavedra-Serrato denied any
knowledge of the illegal drugs.

He told authorities that in February, Alberto Sandoval of Los Banos
had transferred ownership of the BMW to him and then promised to pay
him $5,000 to drive the car to Mazatlan, Mexico, and then to a San
Jose address, court documents say.

When agents told Saavedra-Serrato that drugs were in the car, he
"agreed to participate in a controlled delivery" to San Jose, documents state.

Saavedra-Serrato allegedly was instructed by Sandoval to drop the car
off at Kauai Drive and Sylvandale Avenue. However, Sandoval
apparently never got to the car because it was towed before he could.

Later, federal agents arrested Sandoval. Rommel Bondoc, Sandoval's
attorney, said his client will enter a not-guilty plea.

Saavedra-Serrato's attorney could not be reached for comment.

According to a federal complaint filed in March, Sandoval had been
convicted in 1997 of a drug charge and had served a 37-month sentence
before he was deported to Mexico.

The drugs had been destined for Washington state, McEnry said.

Police did not say what the ultimate destination was for the drugs
seized during the past weekend.

The catalyst for the weekend raid was a tip that identified a
residence where drug activity was taking place, Urban said.

On Saturday evening, officers stopped a car leaving the site.
Officers found three ounces of heroin in the possession of the two
people in the car and obtained a search warrant for the residence, Urban said.

Inside the house, they found nine pounds of heroin and records
tracking sales. The arrests were made within 24 hours, Urban said.