Law enforcement officers raided a downtown Hollister residence
and arrested five people for felony possession of methamphetamine
and marijuana with intent to sell, said agents with the Unified
Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET).
Salvador Ramos, 22, David Ramirez, 21, Jose Avila, 28, Teresa
Riesgo, 19, and Roxanne Valencia, 23, were arrested Thursday at 48
Hawkins St. at about 7:45 a.m., said UNET agent David
Pilkington.
Law enforcement officers raided a downtown Hollister residence and arrested five people for felony possession of methamphetamine and marijuana with intent to sell, said agents with the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET).
Salvador Ramos, 22, David Ramirez, 21, Jose Avila, 28, Teresa Riesgo, 19, and Roxanne Valencia, 23, were arrested Thursday at 48 Hawkins St. at about 7:45 a.m., said UNET agent David Pilkington.
During the search, agents seized approximately 41.5 grams of crystal methamphetamine – the purest form of methamphetamine –, 1.75 grams of powered methamphetamine and 515 grams of marijuana. Also paraphernalia, including two digital scales, packaging material, a glass methamphetamine pipe and marijuana smoking paraphernalia were found, according to a UNET statement.
“A half gram of crystal meth sells for about $50 on the street, so we seized about $4,000 worth in the raid,” Pilkington said. “That’s a considerable amount of meth for this area.”
At the time of their arrest, all of the suspects were under the influence of drugs, he said.
An ATM card that had been reported lost or stolen and a check were also confiscated, Pilkington said.
Also found at the scene were 51 rounds of 9 mm ammunition, but no firearms were discovered, he added.
According to Pilkington, the area of the raid is a known gang hangout and there have been reports of drive-by shootings in the vicinity.
“It has been a hot spot for gang activity,” he said. “Unfortunately, there are a few houses in that neighborhood that are bad spots.”
UNET agents, officers from the Hollister Police Department and San Benito County sheriff’s deputies totaling 16 law enforcement officers were present for the early morning raid.
“We had an overwhelming number of people,” Pilkington said, “That’s how we like it.”
Ramirez, Ramos, Riesgo and Valencia were arrested for possession of methamphetamine for sale, possession of marijuana for sale and being under the influence of a controlled substance. Avila was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia and being under the influence of a controlled substance. Ramirez and Avila had warrants at the time of their arrest, officials said.
Three of the suspects arrested had prior arrests and convictions. Ramos was arrested and convicted in April of one count of false identification. He was also arrested in May for possession of a controlled substance, according to San Benito County Superior Court records.
Ramirez was convicted in 2002 on possession of a concealed weapon and served 60 days in county jail, and Avila spent 15 days in jail for felony damage to a telephone power line in November 2002, after being arrested for spousal abuse, according to court records.
The two females arrested had no prior arrests or convictions. Of the five suspects, four are currently being held in the county jail. Ramos posted $28,000 bail Thursday afternoon.
The house the suspects were apprehended in has been deemed unsafe to occupy, according to Hollister Code Enforcement Officer Tim Burns.
“There is a variety of safety issues concerning that property,” he said.
There are fire-related issues, overcrowding at several of the residences and a lack of proper escape routes if a problem does occur, he said.
“The property has serious issues,” Burns said, “The list just goes on and on.”
