Yorba Linda : 2 Men Arrested in Narcotics Seizure

Investigators arrested two men on drug charges and seized more than 1,000 pounds of cocaine after surveillance of a home here.

Juan Leonel Orrego, 47, of Yorba Linda and Nicholas Gustavo Mira, 31, of North Hollywood were arrested Thursday and are being held without bail at the Orange County Jail, said Capt. Tim Simon of the Orange County Regional Narcotics Suppression Program.

A two-week investigation led authorities to Orrego’s house in the 20000 block of Via Madrid, where they believed narcotics were being stored to be sold later, according to Simon.

Orrego was arrested in South Gate after he was found to have an outstanding $1,500 traffic warrant, authorities said.

After he was detained, investigators saw a Ford pickup truck with a camper shell pull into the garage at his home in Yorba Linda, Simon said.

Minutes later, the truck pulled out of the garage and was stopped in front of the house by Brea police officers, who helped narcotics officials arrest the driver, Mira.

In the truck were nearly 20 boxes containing 1,051 pounds of cocaine and 21 pounds of marijuana, Simon said. The cocaine has a street value of at least $24 million and the marijuana about $350,000, he said.

Both Mira and Orrego are Colombian nationals, Simon said.