Employee arrested for hidden drug lab in Goleta hotel

A Goleta hotel worker was arrested in connection to a hidden drug lab located inside a Goleta-area hotel Tuesday morning.

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said an employee discovered chemicals in a hotel on the 400 block of Storke Road in Goleta at around 9 a.m. and called 911.

The fire department and a special drug team from Los Angeles responded to the incident and dismantled the scene for the better part of the day. Some hotel guests in the immediate area were relocated as the investigation was conducted.

Authorities arrested Aaron Gorzeman, 37, of Oxnard in connection to the drug lab.

Gorzeman was already in custody when the lab was found. Authorities said Gorzeman had outstanding warrants when they found him with meth near the hotel on Saturday.

An additional warrant was obtained to search Gorzeman’s vehicle. In the vehicle, additional evidence of drug manufacturing was located.

Gorzeman faces possible charges for drug manufacturing in addition to his outstanding warrants.

Kelly Hoover of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s office says the lab was being used to make Dimethyltryptamine, more commonly known as DMT.

The materials have since been removed from the hotel.

The investigation is ongoing.