17 are arrested in Santa Barbara-based drug probe

An investigation that started with the search for a dead man's body in an illegal marijuana garden near Santa Barbara has, after six months, resulted in the arrests of 17 people on drug charges, authorities said.

The missing man, Jesus Omar Villa of Fresno, is presumed dead, although authorities have yet to find his body.

During the investigation, Santa Barbara County sheriff’s deputies learned that several suspects had planned to destroy evidence of Villa’s death by setting a brushfire at the marijuana garden he allegedly tended in the Santa Barbara foothills. That fire was never set, however, and cadaver-sniffing dogs failed to find Villa’s body at the Los Padres National Forest site off West Camino Cielo Road.

The arrests were made in several counties, beginning in September. In one raid in Glendale, a 15-year-old boy allegedly rammed his vehicle into several police cars.

In all, authorities confiscated more than two pounds of cocaine, 327 pounds of marijuana, 11 guns and $39,000 in cash.

All of those arrested were described as Mexican nationals. Their U.S. citizenship status remains unclear, according to Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department spokesman Drew Sugars.

—Steve Chawkins

Comments

[Brad]

another good reason to check green cards and send the illegals back home to shoot each other over swag weed!!

explain to me how we dont know if they are citizens or not....do we even have a database that keeps track anymore?

[jay]

Illegals-big surprise. When will our elected officals get the message. I never vote for an incumbent, they just change when they get in office.

[Tom]

Can I assume they were working for one of the cartels? Come on Times, quit being so PC and tell us their status. I'll take a wild guess and say they were here...illegally! Isn't this great? The "sanctuary state" and "open borders" proponents have led to the ruthless Mexican drug cartels operating among the innocent citizens of the U.S., a previously soverign nation. Thanks a lot Dems!

[srk]

i'm sure they all meant well. we certainly don't want to limit the number of illegals running around.

[Jim]

I'm beginning to wonder who our elected officials are working for.

[Tara]

and how many more hundreds of thousands of acres would that have caused--in addition to the hundreds of thousands they've already torched. come on, we know who's doing what in our national parks.

[dogrob1]

Check green cards if not citizens a short stay in prison then to mexico they go,first finger print, and picture them and put them in a data base to keep track of them then see ya!