A Santa Ana probationer pleaded guilty Friday to possessing large quantities of narcotics, including the synthetic opioid fentanyl, which he intended to distribute.
Guillermo Ernesto Sanchez Hermosillo, who was on probation in a domestic violence case, was charged in September 2018 in a five-count indictment with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, heroin and fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime and being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm and ammunition, according to Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
After getting a tip that Hermosillo was allegedly involved in drug trafficking, Huntington Beach police and an Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms special agent went to the 42-year-old defendant’s apartment on July 31 to do a probation check on him, Mrozek said.
Investigators found 2,722 grams of methamphetamine, 1,992 grams of heroin and 891 grams of fentanyl wrapped in plastic in a bedroom closet, according to Mrozek, who said a .45-caliber Glock handgun and eight rounds of ammunition were also seized.
He stashed the gun and eight rounds under a bathroom sink, about five feet from where he stored the drugs, according to the plea agreement.
Three children were in the apartment at the time of the search, including a 3-week-old baby, Mrozek said.
Hermosillo pleaded guilty March 13, 2018, to a misdemeanor count of battery. A felony charge of bringing or sending drugs into jail were dismissed as part of the plea deal, according to state court records, which show that he was sentenced to four days in jail, placed on three years of informal probation, and ordered to take part in a batterers’ treatment program and perform eight hours of community service.