Ventura County gang and drug bust nets 8 arrests

The Ventura County Violent Gang Task Force has arrested eight people accused of narcotics, weapons and gang related offenses. They expect to make more arrests.

The sheriff’s office said they learned about an organization importing drugs from Mexico to Ventura County in September 2018.

Over the past several months, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Ventura County Violent Gang Task Force led the investigation into the organization run by incarcerated prison gang members, according to a news release.

Investigators said they looked into gang members in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and gang members currently living in Mexico.

Authorities said they found Gabriel Cardenas was the link between incarcerated prison gang members and local gang members who were living in Mexico.

Detectives served over 25 search warrants throughout Ventura and Riverside Counties and seized nearly 7,480 grams of methamphetamine, 2,347 grams of heroin, 5 handguns, 2 rifles and over $29,000 in U.S. currency and assets.

The following arrests were made during the investigation:
Gabriel Cardenas – Conspiracy, possession for sale of a controlled substance and
participation in a criminal street gang
Anthony Lemos – Conspiracy, possession for sale of a controlled substance and
participation in a criminal street gang
Gabrielle Plascencia – Conspiracy, possession for sale of a controlled substance and
participation in a criminal street gang
Joshua Clark – Conspiracy, possession for sale of a controlled substance, possession of a
firearm by a prohibited person and participation in a criminal street gang
Rebecca Gonzales – Conspiracy, possession for sale of a controlled substance, and
participation in a criminal street gang
Antonio Lopez – Conspiracy, possession for sale of a controlled substance, possession of
a firearm by a prohibited person and participation in a criminal street gang
Daniel Esquivel – Conspiracy, possession for sale of a controlled substance, possession of
a firearm by a prohibited person and participation in a criminal street gang
Max Castro – Conspiracy, possession for sale of a controlled substance.

The investigation involved Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Ventura County Violent Gang Task Force, Oxnard Police Department, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.