Ventura County Sheriff's Department

Drug kingpin Jose Antonio Medina (AKA: Don Pepe) was arrested in Michoacán Mexico on March 24th. Medina is connected to the drug distribution ring responsible for funneling large amounts of heroin into Ventura County. A record amount of that heroin and other illicit drugs were seized by the Ventura County Combined Agency Team (VCAT) in 2008. The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office was instrumental in coordinating Medina’s arrest and working with Mexican officials to bring him to justice locally.

VCAT is a narcotics enforcement team that was formed in 1999 and is comprised of law enforcement officers from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department, Oxnard PD, Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, DEA, and other local law enforcement agencies. VCAT also works closely with other state and federal agencies such as BNE (Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement), the FBI, and ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement).

VCAT was formed and operated with the substantial funding provided by the Federal Byrne JAG grant. The grant program was designed for multi-jurisdictional task force programs that integrate Federal, State and/or local drug law enforcement agencies and prosecutors for the purpose of enhancing interagency coordination and intelligence and facilitating multi-jurisdictional investigations. Seizures of this size and complexity are only possible through the use of multi-agency resources and coordination, which is the basis for the formation of VCAT.