Drug bust includes 3 smuggled immigrants

Marisa O’Neil

A successful drug and weapons raid in Costa Mesa Wednesday night also

turned up three illegal immigrants being held against their will.

Police and immigration officers arrested six Costa Mesa residents

Wednesday evening, including five gang members, after finding drugs,

guns and illegally smuggled immigrants in two homes, officials said.

Costa Mesa Police searched a home in the 2800 block of Monterey

Avenue and another nearby in the 3000 block of Coolidge Avenue at

about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sgt. Mike Ginther said. Officers found

methamphetamine, guns, and at the home on Coolidge, three illegal

immigrants who claimed they were being held against their will.

“They were telling officers that they wouldn’t let them go until

family members came and paid -- for lack of a better word -- a

ransom,” Ginther said.

Police called Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, who

took two captives, two Mexican nationals and one Columbian into

custody. They also arrested Santiago Salgado-Cuevas, 55, on suspicion

of harboring illegal immigrants, Immigration and Customs Enforcement

spokeswoman Lori Haley said.

“[The immigrants] claimed they entered the United States near

Tecate on Nov. 2 and that they were supposed to pay a $1,400 to

$1,600 smuggling fee,” Haley said.

Salgado-Cuevas will be arraigned in federal court, and the

immigrants will be processed for removal from the country, Haley

said.

Costa Mesa Police also arrested David Salgado, the 24-year-old son

of Salgado-Cuevas, and 24-year-old Raul Valencia for conspiracy to

sell methamphetamine in support of a criminal street gang, Ginther

said. They are being held on $100,000 bail, he said.

At the time of his arrest, Salgado was already out on bail for

selling guns and drugs to San Juan Capistrano gang members, Ginther

said.

The arrests came after a two-month police investigation into

methamphetamine sales by a gang, including several drug purchases by

undercover officers, Ginther said.

Officers found 5 ounces of methamphetamine, a handgun, four rifles

and a shotgun at the home on Monterey Avenue.

Police also arrested Dulce Alvarez, 21, and Maria Vargas, 20, on

conspiracy to sell the drugs, Ginther said. They are being held on

$25,000 bail, he said.

Police arrested 24-year-old Jusiry Toscano on suspicion of showing

false identification, an outstanding warrant, possession of a loaded

weapon and being in a gang.

Toscano is being held without bail.

“It was pretty routine, but these gang members are in the

community, distributing drugs to support their gang,” he said. “We’re

getting them off the street.”

Police arrested six suspected gang members in December in a

multi-agency sweep. That came after a man was shot in the leg in an

alley off the same block of Coolidge Avenue the night before

Thanksgiving.

* MARISA O’NEIL covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (714) 966-4618 or by e-mail at [email protected].