SPPD: Boy arrested with ‘meth’, police urge parents to be aware

January 27, 2016
Santa Paula News

A 14-year-old Santa Paula boy was arrested Thursday morning for being in possession of a methamphetamine, an incident that prompted some comment from Santa Paula Police.

The January 21 incident occurred approximately 9:11a.m. when a SPPD Officer was driving in the 100 block of East Ventura Street. 

According to SPPD Sgt. Cody Madison, the officer “noticed a subject who was a known runaway, a 14-year-old juvenile.”

The office contacted the juvenile and took him into custody; a search of the juvenile found he was in possession of eight bindles — a form of packaging used for sales — of methamphetamine with a total weight of 5.3 grams. In addition, officers tested the juvenile for drug use and determined he was under the influence of marijuana and methamphetamine. A urine test confirmed the officer’s suspicion that the boy was under the influence of illegal narcotics.

Madison said the juvenile was arrested for possession of a controlled substance for sales and transported to Ventura County Juvenile Hall. 

“This is the second arrest for this subject,” said Madison. “He was previously arrested in August 2015 for possession of a controlled substance for sales on a school campus and is currently on informal probation for that offense.”

Detectives from the Santa Paula Police Department contacted the juvenile’s family and explained the circumstances of the arrest and seriousness of this case. 

“The detectives,” according to Senior Officer Allen Macias, “educated the family on items to look for and signs of drug use in an attempt to assist them with getting the juvenile back on track.”

If you are a parent, Macias said to “talk to your teens about drug use. This should be a reminder to all parents that they need to take a proactive role in their teens’ lives and monitor their activities. According to addictioncenter.com, teens that abuse drugs may have a greater risk of developing an addiction when they are adults. Teen drug abuse can have long-term cognitive and behavioral effects since the teenage brain is still developing.”

Recognition and prevention of drug use, he added, “Can end an emerging problem before it starts. Parents need to set a good example and have talks about drug use, these are two strong tools for preventing teen drug use and abuse.”

If parents have any questions about drug use, they can contact the SPPD at 525-4474. 

Macias noted the SPPD has a School Resource Officer and an Officer assigned to the Ventura County Narcotics Task Force.

There is a strong reason to step in when drug use is expected especially with methamphetamine, which is manmade using dangerous chemicals that can destroy the brain.

Ingredients can include acetone, anhydrous ammonia, batter acid, camera batteries, drain cleaner, gasoline additives and iodine crystals among others.

According to http://www.crystalmethaddiction.org those that take “a 

considerable amount of Crystal Meth over a long period of time will usually develop a kind of psychosis and paranoid behavior. They may hear voices or have strange delusions. For example, they may believe that people are talking about them or somebody is following them. The panic and acute psychotic condition created by Crystal Meth use are extremely dangerous. Effects of Crystal Meth may also lead to extremely violent behavior in the user, even in the most passive of and non-threatening of persons.”

The website notes that although the cost of Crystal Meth can vary state-to-state and city-to-city, on average, the price for a 1/4 of gram is $20, 1/2 of gram of Crystal Meth is $40 and 1 gram is $80. 

A 16th (which is a gram and 3/4 of a gram) is around $120 and an 8 ball, which is 3 1/2 grams, is $200.





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