Four arrested in local methamphetamine bust

Four people were arrested Monday and half a pound of methamphetamine was seized by agents in Richfield.

Tehama Interagency Drug Enforcement task force and Corning police officers made a traffic stop on a 2005 Ford pickup driven by Manuel Guiterrez, 31, of Richfield, near the northbound Corning rest stop on Interstate 5 at 12:40 p.m. Monday, according to police logs.

Having information that Guiterrez was selling drugs in the area, the agents found 9 grams of meth hidden in a flashlight between the pickup’s front seats, said TIDE Commander Eric Maher.

Guiterrez and the vehicle’s passenger, Heriberto Garcia Talavera, 38, of Richfield, were arrested. Guiterrez gave consent for agents to search his residence on the 6100 block of Highway 99W, Maher said.

During the search, agents located 225 grams of methamphetamine hidden in a speaker box, Maher said, with an estimated street value is $22,500.

Two people at the residence – Maria Patricia Hernandez, 20, and Guadalupe Jose Ramos, 38, both of Richfield – were arrested on suspicion of possession for sale of a controlled substance with special felony allegations for methamphetamine. They remained in the Tehama County Jail on Friday in lieu of $25,000 bail. Both are scheduled to appear Tuesday in Tehama County Superior Court.

Talavera was arrested on suspicion of possession for sale of controlled substance, transportation of a  controlled substance and a special felony allegation for methamphetamine. He is scheduled to appear in Tehama County Superior Court on Tuesday.

Guiterrez was booked into the Tehama County Jail on suspicion of possession for transportation and sales of methamphetamine. Both Guiterrez and Talavera remain in jail in lieu of $50,000 bail.