Santa Barbara police have arrested a Santa Barbara area gang member on guns and weapons charges.
Sgt. Riley Harwood said Benjamin Ybarra, 35, of Santa Barbara was arrested Tuesday after a search of his home on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm, a felon in possession of ammunition, and for manufacturing a controlled substance.
Harwood said an ongoing gang-related investigation prompted detectives to obtain a search warrant for Ybarra’s residence in the 900 block of East Ortega Street.
He said the search warrant was for weapons, narcotics and “indicia of gang participation.”
Ybarra was observed leaving his residence about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday. Detectives detained him and executed the search warrant, Harwood said.
He said detectives recovered a loaded .32-caliber handgun, marijuana, and equipment for converting marijuana into hashish oil.
Ybarra was arrested and booked into into Santa Barbara County Jail. Bail was set at $180,000.
— Noozhawk managing editor Michelle Nelson can be reached at mnelson@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
