WATSONVILLE—A Watsonville man was arrested Tuesday after police found a kilo of heroin worth at least $80,000 and an assault rifle while executing a search warrant.
Gerardo R. Valencia, 29, was arrested on suspicion of possessing narcotics for sale and an illegal weapon, jail records show. He was booked into the Santa Cruz County jail.
Wilkie Avenue residents were directed to shelter in place around 6:30am as police served the search warrant. The Watsonville Police Department’s Special Response Team and Santa Cruz Police Department’s Emergency Services Unit were called in to help the during incident since Valencia had access to “high-powered weapons,” WPD spokeswoman Michelle Pulido said.
