Gilroy police say they found narcotics and arrested a man at a home that has been known to officers as a drug dealing location since 2011. Now authorities are going after the homeowner in an effort to make the illegal activity stop for good, according to police.
On Feb. 1, the Gilroy Police Department’s Anti-Crime Team served a search warrant for suspected narcotics sales at the home on the 400 block of Lewis Street, according to police. During the search, detectives found more than a quarter-pound of methamphetamine, packaged for sales.
Also found were cocaine, digital scales, narcotics packaging materials and an electronic money counter, Gilroy police posted on the department’s Facebook page. Officers also found more than $25,000 in cash during the search of the Lewis Street home. The money is suspected to be proceeds from narcotics sales.
Gilroy police have been investigating the home for narcotics sales since 2011, according to authorities. The Feb. 1 search was the sixth time police have conducted a narcotics-related search at the residence since 2011. During each search, police found narcotics and arrested a suspect or suspects.
As a result of the Feb. 1 investigation, police arrested one man at the Lewis Street home, and identified another who is wanted in relation to the narcotics activity. Raul Perez, 50, was arrested on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine for sales. He was booked at Santa Clara County Jail and released on his own recognizance until an arraignment date is set in court, police said.
Juan Perez, 37, was not at home at the time of the Feb. 1 search, and police are in the process of obtaining a warrant for his arrest on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine for sales, according to police.
The Anti-Crime Team is also pursuing charges against the owners of the Lewis Street home, on suspicion of maintaining a residence for the purpose of unlawfully selling narcotics, reads the Gilroy Police Department’s Facebook post.
The home is across the street from a city park in east Gilroy, where children often play on a playground and handball courts, police noted. The park has had “many problems with narcotics use and sales” for several years, police said.
