A Peterbuilt semi truck seized from Dwight Taylor. 001 Zan Taylor Drug Bust
Tracy, California – Law enforcement officials in San Joaquin County announced the seizure of a large shipment of cocaine this week after intercepting a semi-truck that they tracked from the Mexican border to a residence in Tracy.
On April 22, deputies from the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, working alongside multiple regional and federal agencies, stopped a semi-truck carrying 189 kilos — more than 415 pounds — of cocaine. The truck was allowed to pull up to a residence on Koster Road, where agents then moved in and detained two suspects.
Inside the residence, authorities also recovered more than 200 pounds of marijuana, officials said.
Luis Gomez-Valencia and Julio Vega-Hernandez were arrested and arraigned Friday on several drug trafficking charges, each of them were given bail at $5 million, and both men face up to 34 years in state prison if convicted. They are scheduled to appear in San Joaquin County court on May 12.
One suspect was detained without incident, while the other fled into the attic of the home and barricaded himself. The San Joaquin County SWAT team and a K9 unit assisted in taking him into custody.
“This operation is a powerful reminder of what’s possible when agencies work together,” the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. “Dangerous drugs off the streets, traffickers behind bars, and our communities made safer.”
The seizure was the result of a coordinated effort between the sheriff’s office, Homeland Security Investigations, the San Joaquin County Metro Narcotics Task Force, Stockton Police Department, Tracy Police Department, San Joaquin County Probation, and the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office.
San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas praised the operation in a statement following the arraignment.
“This was an extraordinary seizure that dealt a significant blow to a major drug trafficking operation,” Freitas said. “My message to other traffickers is this: if you traffic dangerous narcotics into our communities, we will find you, we will dismantle your operation, and we will hold you fully accountable.”
Authorities emphasized that the investigation is ongoing.
