Livermore Couple Arrested On Drug, Arms Trafficking Charges
LIVERMORE (BCN) - A husband and wife suspected of trafficking drugs and firearms were arrested in Livermore on Tuesday, Alameda County Narcotics Task Force officials said.
At 7 a.m., officers arrested Javier Soto, 39, and Ana Soto, 34, after serving a narcotics search warrant at their residence at 5944 Singing Hills Ave., Alameda County sheriff's Sgt. Kevin Willis said.
Livermore and San Leandro police assisted the task force in the warrant and arrest, Willis said.
"They came on to our radar in October," Willis said. "We did our investigation and it turned out to be fruitful for us and for the neighborhood."
Officers found almost 4 pounds of methamphetamine, 2 pounds of marijuana, $350,000 in cash and 10 firearms inside the house, Willis said.
The recovered methamphetamine and marijuana are worth about $243,000, police said.
"For the city of Livermore, I would say it is a fairly big drug bust," Willis said. "The East Bay is a pipeline for cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine, all coming from Mexico."
The two had lived in the house for just six months but, according to Willis, had previously lived in another residential neighborhood in Livermore.
"The larger-size drug dealers deposit themselves in neighborhoods to try and be unsuspected. It didn't seem like they were unsuspected, though," Willis said. "When we arrived to serve the search warrant a neighbor came out and thanked us. Another nearby resident started clapping."
Both Javier Soto and his wife were booked into Santa Rita Jail on charges of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and weapon violations, Willis said. Javier Soto is being held without bail.
The two are scheduled to be arraigned at the Hayward Hall of Justice on Monday at 9 a.m.
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