A month-long investigation led to the arrest of a 44-year-old gang member and the seizure of nearly a quarter-pound of methamphetamine, according to the Santa Barbara Police Department.
Alejandro Mendibles Jr. was taken into custody Friday on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine for sale and driving on a suspended license, Sgt. Riley Harwood said.
He was booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail, with bail set at $30,000.
Detectives received information that Mendibles was involved in selling meth, Harwood said, and obtained a search warrant for his apartment on the 400 block of Rancheria Street and his vehicles.
At 12:45 p.m. Friday, detectives approached Mendibles after he parked one of his cars in the Paseo Nuevo Mall lot.
They discovered he was driving on a suspended license, and arrested him for that offense, Harwood said.
“The detectives then executed the search warrant and found nearly a quarter-pound of methamphetamine, packaged in various quantities for sale, in Mendibles’ other vehicle, which was parked at his apartment complex on Rancheria Street,” Harwood said.
The drugs had an estimated value of about $4,000, Harwood said, adding that $2,187 in cash also was seized.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.