RivCo man suspected of possessing tens of thousands of synthetic drugs

PERRIS, Calif. (KESQ) - A 49-year-old man suspected of selling illicit drugs out of his Perris home, where authorities seized tens of thousands of pills, was arrested today on suspicion of narcotics trafficking.

The Perris man was booked into the Byrd Detention Center in the predawn hours Thursday after he was taken into custody in the 3000 block of Lakeview Drive, near East Rider Street, on the east end of the city, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

Bail information was not immediately available.   

Sgt. David Ruiz said the sheriff's Special Enforcement Team initiated an investigation of the property earlier this month, leading to sufficient evidence for procurement of a search warrant, which was served on Lares Wednesday night.

"During the warrant service, deputies located over 50,000 counterfeit M-30 pills,'' Ruiz said. "[The suspect] was arrested without incident."   

The pills -- also known as "blues" -- were contained in multiple plastic bags confiscated by deputies. M-30s are often loaded with the deadly synthetic drug fentanyl.

"Operations like this one are critical in addressing repeat offenders and deterring narcotic use,'' Ruiz said.  

There was no word on how long the alleged drug trafficking had occurred at the property, nor about who may have been supplying the suspect.   

Background information on him was unavailable.