Alleged meth dealer busted

GLENDALE ? The Los Angeles District Attorney's Office filed charges on Wednesday against a 28-year-old Long Beach man police believe dealt significant amounts of methamphetamine to Glendale residents.

Luis Ramirez was charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance for sale and two counts of possession of a firearm by a felon, according to a complaint filed by prosecutors.

Glendale Police arrested Ramirez on Friday in Long Beach after serving a search warrant on a storage unit Ramirez was renting in that city. They uncovered more than five pounds of methamphetamine ? valued at $110,000 ? and four hand guns, Glendale Police Officer John Balian said.

On that day, Glendale Police also arrested five alleged associates of Ramirez's on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine for sale ? Ramiro Serrato, 27, of Long Beach; Alex Lopez, 24, of Long Beach; Daniel Mora, 19, of Pomona; Hector Mora, 39, of El Monte; and Adrian Solis, 21, of Glendale.

"[Ramirez] is like the organizer, and he's got these other guys basically branched out working for him," Balian said.

Police began investigating Ramirez after they first arrested him in Glendale in March.

During that arrest, Ramirez and Serrato were found with 12 ounces of methamphetamine, Balian said.

"But Ramirez basically took the rap for Serrato, and [Serrato] got off," he said.

Ramirez pleaded guilty to one count of possession of methamphetamine for sale and served 29 days of his 180-day sentence in Los Angeles County jail, Balian said.

In May, after being released on three years felony probation, Ramirez returned to the Glendale Police Department to pick up property taken from him during the March arrest.

At that point, Glendale narcotics detectives began surveillance on him, said Glendale Police Lt. Gary Montecuollo, who would not divulge what prompted them to do so.

"This person was arrested for felony charges and later pleaded guilty," Montecuollo said. "When somebody is involved in that kind of activity and we are suspicious they are selling narcotics, we want to be sure they don't have any more sources to continue the activity if and when they are released from jail. Part of that would be to conduct further investigation."

Ramirez was a "significant dealer" of methamphetamine into Glendale, Montecuollo said, adding police wanted to be sure to stop his supply of the drug into the city.

Surveillance was what ultimately led police to the Long Beach storage unit, Balian said.

"This is a case where we worked it up the ladder," Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said. "It just sends the message that if you're [a dealer] in Los Angeles, in Long Beach, don't come to Glendale."

Ramirez is being held at the Inmate Reception Center in Los Angeles on $100,000 bond.