Santa Monica police arrested three men on Saturday, Sept. 6 after discovering an apartment full of drugs and equipment used to make fraudulent identification and bankcards.
Officers of the Santa Monica Police Department were sent to the 1500 block of Centinela Avenue at 2:53 pm on this day after a witness had reported what appeared to be two suspected burglars attempting to access an apartment by climbing over the common area wall located at the rear of the building.
The witness had added that this pair of suspected burglars also appeared to be highly intoxicated.
When officers arrived they went to the apartment that the witness had reported that these two people had entered and after some coaxing encouraged them to exit the apartment via the front door.
The officers then conducted what they refer to as a “protective sweep” of the apartment and in doing so the officers noticed narcotics, narcotic paraphernalia, blank credit cards, ID cards, and equipment consistent with making fraudulent ID cards/credit cards that were all in plain view.
The officers summoned the assistance of some detectives armed with a search warrant and conducted further investigation.
As a result of the investigation three individuals (two males aged 35 of Santa Monica who were granted bail of $50,000, and a male aged 31 and also of Santa Monica who was denied bail) were arrested and taken to jail and charged with a variety of offences including identity theft, conspiracy, possession of drug paraphernalia, forgery, possession of controlled substances, and violation of probation.
Editor’s Note: These reports are part of a regular police coverage series entitled “Alert Police Blotter” (APB), which injects some minor editorial into certain police activities in Santa Monica. Not all of The Mirror’s coverage of incidents involving police are portrayed in this manner. More serious crimes and police-related activities are regularly reported without editorial in the pages of the Santa Monica Mirror and its website, smmirror.com.
