Two suspects are still being sought by law enforcement
Santa Monica police were involved in a major drug bust earlier this week that netted multiple arrests for the distribution of cocaine and methamphetamine, federal authorities said Tuesday.
Known as “Operation Russian Ice,” FBI agents, in conjunction with local law enforcement, used phone taps as well as evidence gathered by an informant to build cases against 14 individuals living in Hawaii and the Los Angeles area, including Westchester, Inglewood and Marina del Rey, authorities said.
The informant, a former member of the Russian military’s special forces unit, was able to collect substantial evidence over a two-year period of illegal firearm sales as well as the distribution of hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of cocaine and a crystallized form of methamphetamine, known on the streets as “ice” or “glass.”
Santa Monica police helped in the surveillance and apprehension of the suspects, said SMPD Lt. Frank Fabrega. An officer in the police department is a member of the joint-jurisdictional task force that conducted the drug bust.
Those arrested Monday and Tuesday are: Jonathan de la Cruz, a.k.a Lazy, 24, of Los Angeles, who was charged with possession of a Galil rifle; Gennady Kievsky, a.k.a Genna, 41, of West Hollywood; and Samuil Vaisfeld, 39, Chatsworth, charged with conspiracy to posses and intent to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine.
Also charged are; Oleg Svirsky, 41, of Sherman Oaks; Jesse Edmund Castillo, 35, of Westchester; Frank Bustamante, 34, of Inglewood; Perry Dane Rauch, 36, and Aaron Fredette, 28, of Haleiwa, Hawaii; Oleg Doroshenko, 33, of Los Angeles; and Eric Martin Cooperman, 44.
Two suspects who are currently being sought by law enforcement are Angel Jaramillo, 28, a Mexican national residing in the United States illegally, and Michael Montoya, 31, of Marina del Rey. Both are wanted for the distribution of narcotics.
The majority of the defendants were expected to be arraigned Tuesday afternoon, and some face a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison if convicted. The cases will be prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 22, 2006. Read the original PDF.