Home › News › County News
County tries to confiscate $385,000 in drug profits
Action stems from Valencia man's guilty plea in February
Download this story as a podcast!
STORY TOOLS 
More from County NewsVentura County prosecutors have asked a court to confiscate $385,000 in illegal drug profits after the sentencing of a man on drug charges.
During an investigation in 2007, a confidential informant in Ventura County negotiated by telephone with a Los Angeles drug dealer to buy half a pound of methamphetamine.
After those negotiations, detectives arrested Marc Weingarten of Valencia on Dec. 6 and seized thousands of dollars and some drugs they said were destined for Ventura County.
A task force executed search warrants and found $385,000, including $117,248 in certificates of deposit and $80,000 in cash found at a home in Granada Hills.
Weingarten pleaded guilty Feb. 29 to transportation of a controlled substance. On April 1 in Ventura County Superior Court, he was sentenced to three years in prison.
Last week, the District Attorney's Office moved to confiscate the drug profits for the state by filing a civil petition.
Prosecutor Ron Carpenter said the arrest and the seizure of the drugs and money resulted from good investigative work by Detective Carlos Macias, who acted on a hunch that Weingarten had links to a major dealer.
"He (Weingarten) was very capable," Carpenter said. "He had a good connection to be able to put together a fairly large quantity (of methamphetamine) in a short time."
Carpenter described the amount of money seized as significant. He said the methamphetamine was seized before it changed hands from Weingarten to the informant.
Carpenter said the law allows the district attorney in some instances to prosecute a case in Ventura County when a cell phone is used in the county to negotiate a drug deal with a person in another county.
According to court documents, detectives also confiscated one ounce of cocaine, six ounces of marijuana, a quarter-pound of methamphetamine, 1,200 ecstasy tablets and 242 pills.
Deputy District Attorney Stephen Slyker, who filed the civil petition, said federal and state forfeiture laws allow the government to confiscate personal property and assets believed to be connected to drug or criminal activity.
"We basically want to create a financial disincentive by hitting them in the pocketbook," Slyker said.
State officials say education and drug abuse prevention programs are funded with asset forfeiture proceeds, and law enforcement agencies are permitted to use the proceeds to buy equipment.
Posted by venturapagan on May 16, 2008 at 9:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Good...now take the money and hire a couple more cops...
Posted by StayInSchool on May 16, 2008 at 10:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)
At least they waited until he was convicted. They sometimes accuse the person, take the home and money and don't file charges.
Posted by surfmedic91 on May 16, 2008 at 10:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)
raven, take a look at all the open positions for police officers and deputies.
Posted by Common_Sense on May 16, 2008 at 4:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I am sure those positions are difficult to fill because who would really want to do that important job. Look at the way so many of this site's readers comment about our police officers on a whole. Getting spit on, yelled at, fought with on a daily basis with the ever present chance of having an armed confrontation WITH much of the public/press monday night quarterbacking you....I would say this is a major reason why there are so many open positions. Back to this article...good job to the cops...
Posted by TheVeracious1 on May 17, 2008 at 3:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
When did they start "farming" in L.A. County?
So now, you don't have to even actually commit a crime in Ventura County, you just need to have money and assets and a conversation with someone on a cell phone here.
Our Founding Fathers are rolling in their graves over this! What a wasted effort they made. How many died so this wouldn't happen?? Our Daddy's warned us. ANYTHING is possible now and long as the DA thinks its possible.
I am 100 percent in favor of funding rehab and mental health services even though the DA prefers incarceration. Thinking they probably need more electric shock therapy devices in their interrogation rooms. Yes!
This is not heroic. This is organized crime. Our Founding Fathers warned us about threats coming from within our own government and the use of fear tactics as a way to justify the taking of our rights in the name of "public safety".
This is outrageous!
Posted by TheVeracious1 on May 18, 2008 at 9:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Ventura County is STILL policing for profit! Apparently they didn't learn their lesson from the NOTORIOUSLY well known Donald Scott case. Marc is very lucky the VC Sheriff didn't shoot and kill like they did to Donald Scott.
The DA's proven tactics ensure drug addicts remain loyal customers of drug dealers. This gives the DA increased revenue opportunities as they continue to cleverly farm for dealers.
(Requires free registration.)
Article discussions on this site are to support community debates of issues related to our stories and editorials.
Discussions should not stray from the subject of the story or editorial.
We do not allow the following:
We reserve the right to delete threads and/or ban users for these or other reasons we deem necessary.
Opinions are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.