A complaint of honking horns led San Benito County Sheriff’s
deputies to the doorstep of a rural home in the early hours of
Monday morning where the caretaker was ultimately arrested for
allegedly manufacturing methamphetamine among other charges.
Hollister – A complaint of honking horns led San Benito County Sheriff’s deputies to the doorstep of a rural home in the early hours of Monday morning where the caretaker was ultimately arrested for allegedly manufacturing methamphetamine among other charges.
Though no methamphetamine was found, Unified Narcotic Enforcement Team agents arrested Jesus Rojas, 36, on charges of intent to manufacture methamphetamine, domestic violence and illegal possession of a concealed firearm, all felonies, and possession of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor, in addition to two misdemeanor bench warrants.
Deputies originally responded to a neighbor’s noise complaint of “honking horns” at a house on 337 Mansfield Drive just after midnight Monday, according to Sheriff Lt. Pat Turturici. When officers arrived on scene they were approached by a woman who said she lived at the house and was attacked by her boyfriend who had been on a meth binge for four days, according to UNET Commander Mark Cola.
“When they (deputies) got out there they were confronted by a victim of domestic violence,” Turturici said. “While the deputies were there, they saw evidence of a lab and smelled evidence of a meth lab.”
Meanwhile, Rojas’ father had also arrived at the scene concerned about the safety of his son. Rojas reportedly told his father “people were out to get him” and he was worried for his son’s safety. At the fathers’ request, the sheriff deputies kicked in a door to the home to do a welfare check and found Rojas inside, Turturici said. After Rojas was apprehended, the deputies called UNET and turned the investigation over to them.
Cola said UNET secured a search warrant and found evidence of a drug a lab including a bi-layer solution used to make methamphetamine, chemical precursors to meth and drug paraphernalia. They also found a .38-caliber revolver and .22-caliber rifle inside the home.
Rojas is prohibited from possessing firearms because he is a convicted felon. He also has a number of prior bookings dating back to 1993 including driving under the influence, being under the influence of a controlled substance and driving with a suspended license, according to personnel at the San Benito County Jail.
“I think his part was assisting with manufacturing and allowing the rural location to be used,” Cola said. “The home was close enough to Hollister, Gilroy and Morgan Hill for distribution, but rural enough to avoid detection.”
The house had been under UNET surveillance on suspicion of drug activity, according to Cola. Though he wouldn’t say how long UNET had been eyeing the house, Cola said it was in relation to an arrest sheriff’s deputies made of a man in possession of five gallons of methamphetamine solution last year.
“We had been spot-checking for awhile, waiting for them to do something, but it all came together last night,” Cola said.
Cola would not comment why UNET had waited to make any arrests at the home except to say they were gathering information to secure a search warrant.
“I’d prefer not to answer that because it gets into our investigative techniques,” he said.
UNET also believes the suspect was destroying lab equipment and flammable by-products of manufacturing methamphetamine in a fire ring near the house. Turturici said the fire ring is where sheriff’s deputies first noticed signs of the methamphetamine lab.
“We noticed he had been burning reagents and chemicals like he was trying to get rid of the evidence,” Cola said.
Cola said the lab was a medium-sized facility typical of what UNET officers find in San Benito County.
“I’d say based on the chemical reagents and containers it was roughly a medium-sized lab where you can make a gallon of solution which creates about two or three pounds of meth or about four or five pounds of processed meth.”
A pound of processed meth carries a street value of about $6,000, Cola said.
Rojas is currently waiting arraignment in the San Benito County jail without bail.
According to Cola, UNET discovers about three to six similar-sized labs in San Benito County every year. He said this operation was typical of Mexican-national drug cartels that rely on smaller labs in rural areas like San Benito County to avoid detection.
“Over the last few years, we’ve seen smaller labs than 5 years ago,” Cola said. “The criminal element is getting smarter and learning not to put all their eggs in one basket so to speak. Now it’s common to see more smaller labs.”
Marcus Hibdon is the city editor at the Hollister Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 332 or mh*****@fr***********.com
