Meth lab found in Bell home belonging to mayor

Authorities discovered a methamphetamine lab at a Bell home owned by the city’s mayor early today and arrested two men, officials said.

Narcotics investigators raided a home in the 3800 block of Bell Avenue about 1:30 a.m. and found a “super lab,” capable of producing 20 pounds of methamphetamine at one time, said Deputy Guillermina Saldana of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. The investigators were part of a multi-agency state task force.

Saldana said two men were taken into custody, and two young children, ages 2 and 3, were placed in protective care. The suspects’ identities were not immediately available.

The home, one of three units on the lot, is owned by Bell Mayor Oscar Hernandez, who said in a phone interview that it was one of several properties he owns and that he rented it out to a young couple in their 20s. He said the husband was one of the men arrested. Hernandez said that although his son and daughter live in one of the units, his family knew nothing about the lab and had nothing to do with it.

“Nobody smelled nothing. I never got any complaints, and it’s a small community and the houses are close to each other,” said Hernandez, who runs a corner grocery store down the street and has been the city’s mayor since March.

Barrels of chemicals were carted out of the house by a haz-mat unit, Saldana said. Hernandez said the home was still cordoned off by yellow police tape this afternoon.

“These things happen around the town. It’s nothing new,” the mayor said. “They happen all over – they happen here, in Glendale, in L.A.,  in West Hollywood.”

--Victoria Kim

Comments

[Frederick Schaffner]

So is the home being confiscated by the state authorities? I'm really curious to see if there's going to be a double standard applied in this situation. We all know if this was an average citizen...the home would be taken by state authorities.

Safe Trails and God Bless,
Frederick (SilverSurfer) Schaffner
TheAmericanDriver

[Dr. Peter Evans]

Is it not a bit "strange" that the so called "Mayor" of Bell cannot speak a complete sentence in proper English?

Dr. Peter

[Bell Resident]

"It's nothing new?" Is this the kind of Mayor we voted for? I'm ashamed.

[Flyinrevo]

"These things happen around the town. It’s nothing new,” the mayor said. “They happen all over – they happen here, in Glendale, in L.A., in West Hollywood.” --- Another corrupt south eastern city politician trying to deflect blame on someone else. Gotta love those small towns run by people who live in garages.

[Paul]

"Nobody smelled nothing." Excellent grammer from the mayor of a city.

[Eric of Reseda]

WHAT?!? "Nobody smelled NOTHING." This is THE MAYOR, and he talks as if he has a 5th gradde education?!? And then he say, “These things happen around the town. It’s nothing new”, as if we're talking about parking tickets?!? PEOPLE OF BELL, WAKE UP! I strongly doubt you have a mayor who is qualified to do the job properly.

[JD]

The mayor's right, these things happen. Why, I'll bet most mayors in America have meth "super labs" in their rental units. I wouldn't make a big deal out of it, some people might construe that as racist.

[Mario]

Come on Mr. Mayor, there is no way a lab that size can go without any odor... traffic, something, either your kids are knowledgeable of what was going on, or outright oblivious to their surroundings.

A meth lab can produce odors that can be smelled from almost a football fields length.

You must think we are stupid to believe a story like that, houses in close proximity of each other, and you want me to believe no one saw traffic, no one smelled anything, no one heard anything, no one saw anything?

Give me a break.

[David]

I really dont believe this guy. Bell is such a tight small community that everyone knows everyone's business, for the Mayor's family not have known what was going on next door is a total horsecrap lie. The mayor was probably taking a cut of the proceeds or snitching off the dealers on possible police investigations.

[Matt]

"Nobody smelled nothing."
If the mayor can't even speak correctly, how well does that bode for his leadership of a city? Or for those who elected him? Even if no one smelled anything, the future doesn't sound bright for Bell.

"These things happen around town." I also can't imagine the mayor of West Hollywood would make a similar statement were a 20 lb meth lab discovered within that city's borders. Which I imagine has never been the case.

[Tab Cocovillea]

I hate when that happens.

[Chismosa]

Ya, that sounds like Mr. Hernandez alright. Coming from someone who grew up in the city and couldn't wait to get out of there, it doesn't surprise me one bit. Did anyone else notice the chemical burns on his face? I wonder how he was able to get so close to those barrels and not "smell nothing"?
Doesn't every 27 year old Bell resident drive a Corvette? Oh, no, that's just the mayor's son...it's a good thing his corner market makes so much money! Good looking out!

[Open your eyes]

Why make a big fuss about a mayor not speaking English correctly. You are the ones who probably voted for Bush, twice. Let's not forget Arnold. His inability to speak correct english says nothing about his ability to run the city or his small bussines. Oh and it is possible to have something like an illegal narcotics factory near you and not smell or see anything. It has happened before. News interviewing neighbors who never would have imagined stuff like that could happen in there neighborhood. Come on, admit it. You have seen a report like that before.

[moses]

As a long time resident of the city of Bell, I want to say that I must agree with the rest of the people around the city about Oscar Hernandez being shady. He portrays himself as a humble and honest person, but he is everything but the mentioned characteristics. If he has the power to operate a liquor store right next to an elementary school, then obviously he could be just as good with operating a meth lab a few yards away from the elementary school. He is a corrupt politician who does not know how to put together a correct and complete sentence. I urge many of you to go to the monthly community meetings and you will see what our city council is made up of. 3 out of the 5 council members do not know how to speak english, but yet they are able to win an election in dramatic fashion. City of Bell needs change and people need to wake up and smell the meth floating in the air around Bell.

[Watch City of Bell]

http://watchcityofbell.blogspot.com

http://twitter.com/watchcityofbell

[Ricardo]

Since when does the ability to speak English, (by a foreigner may I add) measure his IQ?
Btw, to those who are seeking the truth, here are some interesting facts:

1. The two men arrested were released a few hours later by the LASD.
2. They were released without bond. (Unusual for someone operating a super-meth lab)
3. No drugs were found at the site.
4. The blue barrels shown by the news came from the HAZMAT unit and, are used for the removal of chemicals and contaminated soil.
5. The Sheriff’s Department reported that the mother was arrested and that the kids ( age 2 and 3) were placed under the care of social services. This is not true, the kids were with the mother and she was not arrested.

[Ricardo]

New article:
Link:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bell-...

L.A. County Sheriff's Department alleges a large meth lab was in operation, but a hazmat unit with the county Fire Department says no traces of the drug were found.
By Ruben Vives
June 26, 2009
In the early hours one Saturday last month, more than a dozen narcotic agents led by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department stormed into a cream stucco house in the city of Bell.

Inside, agents said, they seized the components of a large meth lab capable of producing 20 pounds of the drug in a single batch. Two men were taken into custody and two children were placed under the care of the Department of Children and Family Services, authorities had said. Making the bust more newsworthy: The home -- one of three on the property -- is owned by the mayor of Bell, Oscar Hernandez. The raid occurred in a rental home in the back.

But nearly three weeks later, questions are being raised about the account the Sheriff's Department released about the discovery.

While the Sheriff's Department insists meth was found in the house, officials with the county Fire Department's hazardous materials said their test results showed no traces of meth inside or outside the home. They also said there was no evidence to indicate meth had been ever produced there.

"Solvents were detected in the soil of the yard," said Erick Gonzalez, a hazardous materials specialist for the Fire Department, who added that it is unclear whether the solvents could be used to make meth. Soil samples were dug up and placed in blue barrels for testing and disposal, he said.

Children's department spokeswoman Susan Jakubowski said no children were taken from the home the day of the raid, a fact sheriff's investigators now acknowledge is true. Officials blamed the inaccurate information on miscommunication between them and the reporting officer. But they stand by their assertion that meth was found at the home, disputing the Fire Department's findings.

Agents "found traces of products that are used to make methamphetamine," said sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore. "It was deemed a 'superlab' by the Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement because it was a lab that had indeed made meth but was not in production when they arrived there."

Whitmore said an ounce of meth with a street value of $1,500 was also found inside, but investigators did not know whether it had been produced at the home or elsewhere.

Investigators with the multi-agency task force "cleaned it all out as part of the investigation and the hazmat team was called out to see if there was any chemical residue left, and there wasn't," Whitmore said. He also said that the hazmat unit is not responsible for determining whether a meth lab was present.

Mayor Hernandez owns the home but does live in it.

The two men arrested, renter Carlos Zetina, 25, and his uncle Rogelio Zetina, 49, have been released on $75,000 bail but have not been charged, according to the district attorney's office.

Hernandez said he's suspicious of the raid -- and about how the initial news of it was disseminated to the media. He said he thinks political opponents might have been involved but offered no proof.

"Oscar is very popular and there's some people who hate him," Bell Councilman Luis Artiga said.

Whitmore said his department was simply doing its job. "It's important to listen to the experts as to what was found at any particular site," he said. "All these people do is track down meth labs; that's their job. We don't believe the mayor had any knowledge of this."

Hernandez, however, feels that message is not getting out. He said his family has been ostracized because of the raid.

11:19 PM, June 25, 2009

[BOB The Slob]

I remember when Bell was all Hill Billy's.

That was way back in the 50's.

They didn't speak propper english.