By Daily Press staff
OCEAN PARK — Santa Monica police seized more than 200 pounds of marijuana with a street value of $150,000 from a second-story apartment here Tuesday night.
Rene Albeto Vega Mayorga, 23, of Santa Monica, was arrested for possession for sales, possession of a concealed weapon and probation violation, said Santa Monica Police Lt. Frank Fabrega.
Police responded to 724 Pacific St. around 7 p.m. after an anonymous caller reported seeing two men unloading packages from a van parked near the apartment building.
Patrol and undercover officers responded to the apartment building, and saw marijuana in plain sight inside the van, Fabrega said. That’s when officers detained Mayorga, the owner of the vehicle and a resident of the apartment.
Mayorga also was found carrying a concealed handgun.
The discovery of the marijuana in the van prompted officers to obtain a search warrant for the apartment, in which they found a majority of the drugs in bricks, wrapped in paper and duct tape, Fabrega said.
Mayorga’s bail was set at $140,000.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 16, 2006. Read the original PDF.