CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A vehicle stop earlier this week resulted in one arrest and the seizure of methamphetamine, marijuana and prescription medication.
James Remo Regalia, 31, of San Pablo was arrested for possession of a controlled substance for sale, transportation of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana for sale, sales of marijuana, possession of a narcotic controlled substance and possession of controlled substance paraphernalia, according to Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
On Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. narcotics detectives were traveling in the area of 35th Avenue and Phillips Avenue in Clearlake when they noticed a white Chevrolet sedan on 34th Avenue approaching the intersection at Phillips Avenue. The vehicle failed to stop at the stop sign before entering the roadway, Brooks said.
As detectives were traveling southbound on Phillips the vehicle made an abrupt left turn onto 32nd Avenue, which has a dirt surface. Brooks said the vehicle quickly accelerated at a high rate of speed in a residential neighborhood, with complete disregard for the safety of the public.
Narcotics detectives attempted to conduct an enforcement stop and started to pursue the vehicle. They terminated the pursuit shortly after due to road conditions, the large amount of dust trailing the suspect vehicle and the risk to public safety, Brooks said.
A sergeant with the Clearlake Police Department located the suspect vehicle and conducted an enforcement stop on Highway 53 near 40th Avenue. Brooks said the narcotics detectives were directly behind the Clearlake Police sergeant and assisted with the enforcement stop.
The driver, identified as Regalia, was instructed to exit the vehicle and as he did, he admitted to having marijuana inside the vehicle, Brooks said.
Brooks said one of the narcotics detectives deployed his narcotics detection canine to conduct a sniff of the vehicle. The canine alerted to the front driver side door and the trunk, indicating there was the odor of a controlled substance present.
Regalia was informed of the canine alerting to his vehicle and was told his vehicle was going to be searched. When asked if he had any additional contraband in the vehicle, Regalia said there was an ounce of methamphetamine on the back seat.
During a search of the vehicle detectives located a digital gram scale in the map pocket of the driver’s door. Also in the map pocket was a large bundle of US Currency, which was in three different stacks and rubber banded together, Brooks said.
Detectives searched the back seat of the vehicle and located a black backpack. Inside the backpack was a tubular object which was wrapped in black tape. Inside the tube were three individual bags containing a crystalline substance recognized to be methamphetamine, according to Brooks.
Also in the backpack were two large plastic bags containing a white granular substance, which was recognized to be a cutting agent. Brooks said the cutting agent is mixed with the methamphetamine to add weight to the substance when it is sold.
During a search of the trunk, detectives located two large plastic bags containing processed marijuana. They also located a duffel bag which contained several articles of men’s clothing. Also in the duffel bag were three pipes used to smoke methamphetamine, Brooks said.
A metal locking safe which looked like a book was also located in the trunk. Brooks said the detectives were able to pry the safe open and located another methamphetamine pipe, a large amount of packaging material, a plastic bag containing 44 blue pills determined to be Diazepam pills, another digital gram scale and 119 Hydrocodone pills inside a prescription bottle. Brooks said the bottle had a prescription on it stating it belonged to someone other than Regalia.
Brooks said all of the drugs, paraphernalia and other items found in the car were seized as evidence.
Regalia was arrested and transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility, where he was booked, Brooks said.
The methamphetamine was later weighed and determined to have a gross weight of 74.6 grams or 2.63 ounces. Brooks said the processed marijuana had a gross weight of 11.64 ounces. A total of $3,813 was located during the search which was seized pending asset forfeiture proceedings.
The Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force can be reached through its anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.