Full Notification

Nature of Incident: Narcotic Arrests-Thousand Oaks
Report Number: 15-3865
Location: 100 block Maegan Place, Thousand Oaks
1200 block Avenida De Los Arboles, Thousand Oaks
Date & Time: 2/18/2015, 0700 hours
Unit Responsible: Sheriff’s Narcotics Unit
(S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent City of Residence Age
Hernandez, Ricardo Thousand Oaks 34
Castro, Alberto Thousand Oaks 27
Hernandez, Alejandro Thousand Oaks 34

Narrative:
On 2/18/2015, deputies with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office served an eviction order on Ricardo Hernandez, 100 block of Maegan Place. Hernandez was home and left the residence after being served with eviction and stay away orders. Shortly after Hernandez left, deputies observed illegal drugs inside the residence.

Sheriff Narcotic Detectives responded to assist with the investigation. A search warrant was obtained and the residence was searched. Detectives located numerous grams of methamphetamine packaged for sale, loaded shotgun, two assault rifles- one of which was a loaded AK47 rifle, two loaded handguns, ballistic vest, various military knives and evidence that Hernandez was actively involved in the sales of illegal drugs.

After completing the search of the residence, detectives conducted a surveillance of the location in hopes that Hernandez would return. An hour later, Hernandez arrived at the location with Alberto Castro and Alejandro Hernandez. All three subjects entered the residence and left after a few minutes. Detectives followed them away from the residence where deputies with the Thousand Oaks Police Directed Enforcement Team conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle and arrested Hernandez.

During the traffic stop, the deputies determined Alberto Castro and Alejandro Hernandez were under the influence of a controlled substance and they were arrested. They also provided false identification to the deputies but their true identities were quickly determined with the use of a portable fingerprint identification system. The fingerprint identification device that identified Castro also alerted deputies that Castro had three outstanding warrants for his arrest.

Detectives searched the vehicle and located over 19 grams of methamphetamine and evidence of illegal drugs sales. Detectives determined Alberto Castro and Alejandro Hernandez both resided at a residence located on the 1200 block of Avenida De Los Arboles. Based on the ongoing investigation, detectives obtained a search warrant for their residence on Avenida De Los Arboles.

Shortly after 2200 hours, Narcotic detectives and deputies with the Directed Enforcement Team converged on Castro and Hernandez’s residence and served the warrant. They encountered over 15 individuals inside the residence and had to summon patrol units to assist with the service of the warrant.

After securing the residence, detectives observed numerous make shift shelters and room additions that were made into living quarters. The shelters and rooms were obviously not up to code so detectives requested the assistance of the City of Thousand Oaks Code Enforcement. An officer from Code Enforcement arrived and conducted an investigation. A determination as the status of the residence will be made at a later time.

Detectives searched the residence for evidence of drug activity, but nothing notable was found.

Ricardo Hernandez was arrested for disobeying a court order, possession for sale of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance with a firearm, and possession of ammunition designated to penetrate metal or armor. His bail is set at $50,000

Alberto Castro was arrested for possession for sales of a controlled substance, transportation of controlled substance, under the influence of a controlled substance, drug paraphernalia, conspiracy, providing false information, and three outstanding warrants. His bail is set at $70,000

Alejandro Hernandez was arrested for possession for sales of a controlled substance, possession for sale of a designated controlled substance, and conspiracy. His bail is set at $50,000

All three subjects are scheduled to appear in court on 2/20/2015, at 1:30PM.

Prepared by: Sergeant Jose Rivera
Media Release Date: 2/19/2015
Media Follow-Up Contact: Sergeant Jose Rivera, 805-797-6341, [email protected]
Approved by: Captain Curt Rothschiller