(KRON) — One man was arrested and a pound of methamphetamine was seized during a drug bust in Santa Rosa Monday morning, police announced. The arrest was connected to an investigation launched in July by the Santa Rosa PD Narcotics Team.
The investigation centered around a drug trafficking organization that allegedly used “runners” to distribute large amounts of meth around Santa Rosa and surrounding areas. “Runners,” according to police, are people who work for drug trafficking organizations who deliver drugs and pick up money.
Runners are among the most vulnerable members of such organizations. Drug bosses use them to decrease their chance of being implicated in narcotics distribution, according to SRPD.
In this investigation, police identified 37-year-old Antonio Ibarra-Mendoza as a runner. Ibarra-Mendoza, police said, also had an outstanding Sonoma County arrest warrant for drug sales from 2014.
Patrol officers and officers with the Narcotics Team served a warrant at his residence in the 3500 block of Moorland Avenue at around 9:45 a.m. Monday. Ibarra-Mendoza was detained without incident.
Detectives searched the residence and found about a pound of methamphetamine packaged for sale. The suspect was booked into Sonoma County Jail for possession of a controlled substance for sale and felony arrest warrant for drug sales from 2014.
