Countywide : 5 Face Drug Trial in Federal Court

Five men arrested during two major cocaine seizures last week will be prosecuted in federal court, the Ventura County district attorney’s office said Thursday.

Federal convictions could result in substantially longer prison terms than the 20-year maximum possible under state law, Deputy Dist. Atty. Gregory G. Phillips said.

Three of the suspects have been charged with possession of cocaine for sale and transportation of cocaine and are being held on $5-million bail each. They are Manuel Montes DeOca, 24, of Puerto Rico; and Jose Alfredo Petit, 48, and Alfred Fabian Petit, 24, both of Cuba.

Two Armenian nationals, Andrias Karapetian, 39, and Mari Karapetian, 34, have been charged with conspiracy to possess cocaine for sale and possession for sale. They are being held in lieu of $1-million bail each. All five are being held in Ventura County Jail.

Phillips said the state charges will remain until federal charges are filed.

Two other men, Roberto Garcia, 35, of Mexico, and Carlos Aldo Santini, a Colombian, remain in jail on suspicion of possessing cocaine for sale and conspiracy to sell cocaine. Their bail is $5 million each.

The seizures occurred Feb. 26 at a North Hollywood house and the following night in a restaurant parking lot in Thousand Oaks. Altogether, 202 pounds of cocaine valued at $9.2 million were seized.