Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : 2 Men Arrested in 22-Pound Cocaine Seizure

SANTA CLARITA —  Two men are in custody after police officials found about 22 pounds of cocaine, with a street value of about $1 million, in a van they were driving on the Golden State Freeway near Six Flags Magic Mountain, authorities said Friday.

Arnulfo Romero, 35, and Ramiro De La Mora, 30, both of Salinas, Calif., were arrested at about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, said Officer Michelle Fink of the California Highway Patrol. They were being held in lieu of $1 million bail.

Members of the Orange County Regional Narcotics Suppression Program had followed a Chevrolet van driven by Romero northbound on the Golden State and requested the help of Newhall CHP officers in stopping it, said Lt. Bob Sayne of the Orange County unit. He would not say where the unit began following the van, but said officers suspected the men were believed to be part of a drug ring.

CHP officers spotted the van traveling at about 75 m.p.h. at Lyons Avenue and pulled it over a few miles later near Magic Mountain Parkway. Officers arrested the men after finding a small amount of cocaine inside the van, Fink said. A more extensive search, using a police dog, uncovered about 22 pounds of cocaine hidden inside the vehicle.

Sayne said the seizure was relatively small when compared to others made by the task force in large metropolitan areas. But a Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station narcotics detective said the seizure was a considerable one for the suburban community.