Santa Maria man arrested in connection with illegal sale of marijuana to minors over Snapchat
SANTA MARIA, Calif. – A 23-year-old Santa Maria man was arrested for selling marijuana to minors through a social media app Tuesday.
The investigation into the crime began in January of this year when an alert parent contacted the Sheriff's Office to report that her child had purchased nicotine vapes through Snapchat detailed the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office in a press release Thursday.
Detectives traced the Snapchat account to a 23-year-old Santa Maria man and established that he had a marijuana and vape re-sale business where he sold legally purchased products at a markup, primarily to minors explained the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office.
The image below shows some of the items seized in connection with the arrest courtesy of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office.
According to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office, the man used the username "Mr. Maya" and would coordinate delivery sales to customers he knew to be minors through Snapchat.
The image below, courtesy of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office, shows how "Mr. Maya" advertised the Snapchat-based business.
On April 1, 2025, around 12:30 p.m., detectives arrested the 23-year-old at his home in the 2300 block of Ronald Place and he was booked into the Northern Branch Jail for felony selling marijuana to a minor and violation of probation shared the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office.
The 23-year-old is being held without bail added the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office.
The Snapchat account involved in this case has been deactivated and detectives encourage parents -especially in the Orcutt and Santa Maria area- to check their child's accounts to see if they were in contact with "Mr. Maya".
Below is an image of more of the products seized in connection with the investigation provided to Your News Channel by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office.
Anyone with information related to this case is asked to contact the Cannabis Compliance Team at 805-681-4150 or you can report your information while remaining anonymous by calling 805-681-4171 or online here.
