CORPUS CHRISTI (Kiii News) -
The standoff at the Montego Harbor Apartments Thursday night turned into a drug bust as police arrested six individuals and seized cocaine, meth, heroin, marijuana, pills, several handguns and plenty of cash.
Police responded to a tip about suspicious activity taking place in the apartment complex at around 5:15 p.m. Several men were seen moving assault rifles from a nearby vehicle into one of the apartments.
A standoff involving the Corpus Christi Police Department's SWAT Team ensued, lasting about five hours, until eventually the individuals came out peacefully.
Traffic around the Weber and Holly intersection was blocked off from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
After the standoff, when members of the SWAT Team entered the apartment, they found marijuana in plain view, prompting the Narcotics Vice Investigation Division to request a search warrant for that apartment, as well as for another apartment after receiving additional information. Their search of the two apartments yielded plenty of results.
Inside, they found handguns, two of which were stolen in a Brazos County robbery, which is still under investigation, along with synthetic marijuana as well as the real thing, methamphetamines, cocaine, heroin and pills, which are being sent to a lab for identification. They also found scales for weighing the drugs, gold jewelry and approximately $37,500 in cash.
Six individuals were arrested for manufacturing a controlled substance and possession of marijuana. They are Jonathan Ray Sanchez, 23, Carlos Caballero, 28, Daniel Jimenez, 28, Daniel Perales, 28, Martin Zamora, 25, and Angelina Canavacholo, 22.
Of the six who were arrested, police said three are known gang members who they believe are quite serious. They said it's a major bust for the police department.
"We are talking some hardcore gang members," said Captain David Cook of the Corpus Christi Police Department's narcotics division. "People that we have known for a while and dealt with on a regular basis. These are not small-time people. We have known about these individuals and have been watching them for quite a long time."
Police also mentioned that the individuals had tried flushing marijuana down the toilet and crack down the drain. They had even made some holes inside the wall and hid two weapons.
Police said they were very fortunate to get this anonymous call, and these individuals are now facing several charges, and federal charges are pending.
