Ivar Laegreid, 68, was sentenced Thursday to six years and four months in state prison after a jury convicted him of seven felony counts related to drug sales and illegal gun possession. Prosecutors had sought a substantially longer term, saying he brought methamphetamine and cocaine into Ventura County while carrying an untraceable ghost gun.
The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release that Laegreid, born June 27, 1958, was sentenced November 5. Prosecutors had asked for 12 years and eight months in prison.
According to the release, Laegreid brought large quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine into Ventura County and sold the drugs while armed with a ghost gun, a firearm without a serial number that cannot be traced through standard law enforcement databases. The jury convicted him on October 8 on all seven felony counts tied to the drug sales and weapon.
Prosecutor Calls Sentencing a Matter of Community Safety
Deputy District Attorney Devin Mirchi, of the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office Major Crimes Narcotics Unit, prosecuted the case. In the office’s statement, Mirchi said he was glad Laegreid had been held accountable for the danger he posed to the community.
The sentence was below the term prosecutors had requested. The district attorney’s office release confirmed the sentence and date but did not provide further details about the court’s decision.
Countywide drug-related deaths
The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office reported that 217 deaths among the cases it investigated in 2020 were due to medications, alcohol and/or illicit drugs. That countywide figure does not establish any connection to Laegreid or his alleged sales.
