A 44-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of carrying out a scheme in which they allegedly sold or traded fentanyl to homeless people in exchange for stolen goods, said El Cajon police.
Investigators said the two men were arrested Monday after a two-month investigation by the department’s Special Investigations Unit, Lt. Will Guerin said in a news release. The woman was arrested in February on suspicion of possession of fentanyl for sale, but was released on bond.
On Monday, detectives received a search warrant to search a home the two shared in Santee, Guerin said.
The man was seen later that morning driving his car on Broadway, just east of State Route 67, according to Guerin. Detectives decided to follow the suspect and saw him encounter several homeless people in an area known for drug activity, the lieutenant said.
Detectives arrested him and found him in possession of fentanyl and items indicating he planned to sell the drug, investigators said.
Police then went to the two men’s home and a storage unit he had rented at a facility on Rockvill Street, near Magnolia Avenue, Guerin said. During the searches, investigators reportedly seized nearly 2 pounds of fentanyl, thousands of dollars in cash, several thousand dollars in stolen merchandise and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
The suspects were arrested on drug-related allegations. The man was also arrested on suspicion of illegal possession of ammunition and stolen property.
Police said the stolen merchandise was primarily sports memorabilia, but did not say where the items may have been stolen from.
California Daily Newspapers
