What started as a routine probation check in Simi Valley turned into a sprawling, multi-agency drug operation that stretched across three Southern California counties and ended with a haul officials peg at roughly $2.1 million on the street. Two people were arrested after officers first found ketamine and cash in a vehicle, then followed that trail to a home and storage units loaded with pills, powders, and even precious metals.
How the stop unfolded
According to a Nixle alert from the Simi Valley Police Department, officers contacted a 45-year-old man and his 39-year-old girlfriend in the 3800 block of Alamo Street on Friday. Because the vehicle was registered to the probationer, an officer searched and reported finding about two kilograms of ketamine along with roughly $8,000 in cash. Both occupants were arrested at the scene.
Searches in San Clemente turned up a large inventory
From there, the case quickly jumped city limits. Detectives obtained search warrants for the couple’s San Clemente home in the 600 block of Calle Del Cerrito, as well as several storage units, and executed them that same evening. The searches turned up what looked a lot less like personal-use supply and a lot more like wholesale stock.
According to KEYT, investigators reported seizing 85,000 counterfeit Adderall pills, 25,000 Ecstasy pills, approximately 30 pounds of ketamine, one pound of fentanyl, seven pounds of cocaine, and 10 pounds of psilocybin. Cash and precious metals were also booked into evidence. Local officials estimated the combined street value at about $2.1 million.
Probation officer credited with the breakthrough
Ventura County probation officials say none of it would have surfaced without the initial probation work. In a release republished by the Chief Probation Officers of California, the department credited DPO II Monceaux with coordinating the contact and working alongside Simi Valley’s PROS officer on the search that uncovered the ketamine in the car.
That discovery, the release notes, became the trigger for the search warrants that followed and ultimately exposed what officials describe as a “large-scale” manufacturing and trafficking operation spanning Orange, Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
Charges and booking
The Simi Valley notice identified the suspects as Jason Klausmeyer and April Baird and reported that both were booked into Ventura County Main Jail on multiple counts, including alleged violations of Health and Safety Code sections 11351, 11378, 11379, 11379.2 and Penal Code section 182, according to the Simi Valley Police Department.
FOX 11 Los Angeles also reported on the arrests, listing charges that include possession with intent to sell, transportation of a controlled substance, possession of ketamine and conspiracy.
What officials say and what comes next
Authorities say the investigation is still active. Detectives are working with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and the Costa Mesa Police Department to chase down leads and process the sizable amount of evidence, according to local reporting by KEYT.
If prosecutors ultimately prove intent to distribute, the possession-for-sale and transportation counts could carry significant prison time under California law. For example, a conviction under HSC 11351, which covers possession of certain controlled substances for sale, is punishable by two, three or four years in custody.
