Olivehurst couple nabbed in drug bust

A drug-dealing Olivehurst couple had a half-pound of methamphetamine and almost three pounds of marijuana when they were arrested early Monday, a drug enforcement official said.

Agents observed Oscar Arias, 26, and Anna Ramos-Gonzales, 24, selling ounces of methamphetamine to street-level dealers for about two months. But the size of their distribution network indicated sales were being made a lot longer, said Mike Hudson, commander of the Yuba-Sutter Narcotic Enforcement Team, or NET-5.

The couple were arrested about 7 a.m. when agents took a search warrant to their home in the 4200 block of Mary Avenue. Their two children, ages 2 and 4, were taken by Yuba County Child Protective Services, said Hudson.

Charges are possession of controlled substance for sale and child endangerment. They were booked into Yuba County Jail and released later Monday after posting bail.

The distribution network was mostly in Yuba County. Arias and Ramos-Gonzales were buying one or two pounds of meth at a time from an unknown source, Hudson said.

The meth on hand Monday at the house had a wholesale value of about $10,000. The marijuana had been divided into 15 packages for street sales, he said.

Also found were $600 in sales proceeds, scales and the .38-caliber handgun Arias carried when making sales. He faces an additional charge for being armed while committing felonies, Hudson said.

Dealers who sell both meth and marijuana are increasingly common. The couple both used marijuana but there was no evidence they used meth, he said.

Both are legal U.S. residents, Hudson said.

Contact Appeal-Democrat reporter Rob Young at 749-4710 or at ryoung@appealdemocrat.com.