Taft Deputies- 3 arrests On September 4, 2026, deputies from the Taft...

Taft Deputies- 3 arrests

On September 4, 2026, deputies from the Taft Substation with the assistance of the Kern County Sheriff’s Office High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force(KC-HIDTA) and Wardens from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife executed a search warrant in the 500 block of Klipstein Street in Maricopa and executed a search warrant in the 400 block of E Street in Taft. There was a total of 959 marijuana plants, 52 pounds of processed marijuana, and a loaded 9mm semi-automatic handgun located at the Maricopa address.

Jose Hernandez Ramirez (27) from Mexico and Victor de la Cruz Garcia (27) from Mexico were arrested for possession of a firearm while maintaining a place for sales, maintaining a place for sales, possession of marijuana for sales, and marijuana cultivation. There were two firearms located at the Taft address. Alberto Guitron (58) was arrested for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and maintaining a residence for sales. Ramirez, Garcia, and Guitron were subsequently booked into the Kern County Sheriff's Office, Lerdo Justice Facility. The Taft address is a result of a lengthy marijuana cultivation operation where several search warrants were executed and a total of 2,112 indoor marijuana plants, 873 outdoor marijuana plants, 641.5 pounds of processed marijuana, and two loaded firearms were seized as a result of this investigation.