Ventura County Sheriff's Department

(S)uspects, City of residence, Age, Charges

Cortez, Manuel, Oxnard, 25 * Parole Violation warrant
* Felon in Possession of a Firearm
* Possession of a Silencer
* Felon in Possession of Ammunition
* Under the Influence of a Controlled Substance While in Possession of a Firearm.

During the second week of November, gang investigators began receiving reports that an El Rio Gang member was in possession of an assault rifle. Investigators learned that the subject was Manual Cortez. Cortez was on parole and currently wanted on a no bail warrant for violating his parole. He was listed as an “armed and dangerous” fugitive by the California Department of Corrections.

On 11-15-2008, Gang investigators found Cortez hiding in an apartment on Gonzales Road, Oxnard. He was taken into custody without incident. Cortez was found to be in possession of an assault rifle with a silencer. He was arrested for the above-listed charges and booked into the Ventura County Jail without bail.

The Sheriff’s Gang Unit has arrested 26 people and seized 6 guns over the last week in an effort to reduce a spike in gang-related drive by shootings. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department is committed to reducing gang violence in its jurisdiction through aggressive enforcement. Anyone having information on gang-related activity is encouraged to call the Gang Tip Hotline at 1-888-58GANGS.