Police on Wednesday discovered 675 pounds of cocaine valued at $35 million that was tied to the Mexican Sinaloa Cartel.
A multi-jurisdictional task force made three arrests in connection with the discovery of the cocaine in the 11400 block of Charlesworth Road in Santa Fe Springs.
Drug agents had staked out the home for more than a month. On Tuesday, officials followed a car from the home to the Victorville area. When they stopped it, they found 110 pounds of cocaine in the trunk. That led them back to the Santa Fe Springs home where they found 565 more pounds in the garage.
The cocaine was packaged in a unique way — in large bundles — covered in laundry detergent and plastic to mask the scent from drug-sniffing dogs.
"We have speculation it possibly came on panga boats because of the way it was packaged," said Lt. Carlos Mendoza, of the Los Angeles Interagency Metropolitan Police Apprehension Crime Task Force. "Its not the way typical kilos would be packaged and hidden in vehicles or on a body."
Three other people were arrested in connection with the discovery of cocaine in San Bernardino Tuesday.
The cocaine belonged to the Mexican Sinaloa cartel, David King, of the task force, said.
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Drug agents said the cartel hides in plain sight — blending in to quiet neighborhoods like the one in Santa Fe Springs.
"We see the violence in Mexico," Mendoza said. "The cartels will kill people because they steal from them — money and drugs — obviously for vengeance ... that could happen here in the United States."
Four men and one woman were take into custody Four children at the home were taken into protective custody.
