California Highway Patrol Chief Adam Cuevas, Ventura County District Attorney Greg Totten, Oxnard Police Department Chief John Crombach, Ventura Police Department Chief Ken Corney, Chief Fernando M. Estrella of the Port Hueneme Police Department, Deputy Chief Vito Scattaglia of the Department of Motor Vehicles Bureau of Investigations Unit, Commissioner Steve Poizner of the Department of Insurance, Special Agent in Charge John A. Torres of the Los Angeles Field Division, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Sheriff Bob Brooks of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office and Ralph Lumpkin of the National Insurance Crime Bureau; announced today the culmination of a long term undercover investigation which will net the arrest of 87 defendants in a sweep of car thieves, firearms violators, narcotics traffickers and gang members operating in and around the Ventura County Area.

In January 2009, the Ventura County Auto Theft Task Force (VENCAT) initiated an undercover investigation to locate and recover stolen vehicles within Ventura County. The investigation quickly expanded into other crime areas as the suspects involved in the vehicle theft investigation began providing information to undercover officers related to weapons and narcotics being trafficked in and around Ventura County. Recognizing the potential benefit conducting the investigation into the broader criminal activity occurring in this case, the task force solicited and received assistance from additional state, local and federal agencies. The joint effort included the California Highway Patrol (CHP), Ventura County District Attorney’s Investigation Unit (VCDA), Oxnard Police Department (OPD), Ventura Police Department (VPD), the Port Hueneme Police Department (PHPD), Department of Motor Vehicles Investigations (DMV), the Department of Insurance (DOI), the California Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Ventura County Sheriff Department’s Combined Agency Task Force (VCAT), and prosecutors from the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office and the United States Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles, California. The goal of the joint undercover operation was to target criminal street gang members and other criminal associates who were stealing vehicles and dealing in firearms and narcotics in and around the Ventura County, California area.

During the course of the undercover investigation, 92 stolen vehicles were recovered at a value in excess of nine hundred thousand dollars. Fifty seven firearms including assault weapons, incendiary devices and alleged C4 explosives were purchased by undercover officers along with approximately 938 grams of crystal methamphetamine, 203 grams of heroin, 95 grams of cocaine and 27.5 grams of marijuana. The seized and recovered narcotics have an estimated street value of over one hundred thousand dollars. Additionally, undercover officers purchased and recovered $14,010 in counterfeit funds. Numerous commercial, residential, and auto burglary cases were also solved as a result of this investigation. A number of the defendants were identified as felons; some are documented gang members and associates.

Eighty seven suspects are subject to arrest for a variety of state and federal violations. Of those 87 suspects, eleven will face federal charges. The federal charges include: felons in possession of a firearm, illegal alien in possession of a firearm, possession of an unregistered firearm, the illegal sales of narcotics substances, and the manufacturing and distribution of counterfeit money. The state charges are predominantly for possession of stolen vehicles and for drug charges.

“Operation Sudden Impact is reflective of the connection between stolen cars, guns, drugs and violent crime. This operation shows the effectiveness of combining resources from federal, state, local law enforcement, as well as private agencies in the effort to curtail criminal activity in Ventura County”, said Adam Cuevas, Division Chief of the Coastal Division of the CHP.

"Collectively we took a tremendous amount of firearms off of the streets and out of the hands of violent criminals," said John A. Torres, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Los Angeles Field Division. "ATF will continue to combat violent crime with our state and local law enforcement partners by denying criminals access to firearms."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Carol A. Chen stated as part of Operation Sudden Impact, federal prosecutors have charged 11 defendants, most of whom face mandatory minimum sentences of five years in prison and some of whom could be sentenced to as much as
20 years. Last week, a federal grand jury in Los Angeles returned a series of indictments that accuse the 11 defendants of various firearms, narcotics and counterfeit currency charges. In one indictment that was unsealed this morning, Cesar Corella, 46, of Oxnard, is charged with illegally selling 14 guns, including assault weapons; being a convicted felon in possession of firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition; selling more than $3,700 in counterfeit United States currency; and distributing methamphetamine, heroin and crack cocaine. Corella, who would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in federal prison if he is convicted, was arrested during a traffic stop in January, at which time authorities discovered nearly a quarter-pound of methamphetamine, seven guns and $9,020 in counterfeit United States currency. The 11 defendants who have been indicted are being prosecuted by the United States Attorney's Office in Los Angeles.

Chief Cuevas commended the more than 200 law enforcement personnel who participated in this weeks’ roundup of suspects. Assisting the CHP, VCDA, OPD, PHPD, DMV, DOI, ATF, and VCAT were: the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Secret Service, Ventura County Probation Department, the California Department of Corrections Parole Division and the National Insurance Crime Bureau.