Detectives seized approximately 90 pounds of marijuana, an unserialized AR-15 rifle and more than $300,000 in cash from a 24-year-old man Thursday in Santa Barbara County, authorities announced.
The arrest of Santa Maria resident Apolinar Ordaz Soriano came after investigators with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office’s Cannabis Compliance Team served a warrant at the 24-year-old’s residence in the 800 block of South Smith Street.
Soriano faces charges for the sale and transportation of cannabis without a license, possession of cannabis for sale and conspiracy.
Authorities said that charges for the AR-15 ghost gun are pending while detectives continue their investigation.
“In addition to protecting consumers and the integrity of the legal cannabis market, arresting suspects involved in illegal sales helps prevent organized crime and the associated violence that often accompanies illicit drug trade,” a news release from SBCSO stated.
The 24-year-old is being held at the Northern Branch Jail on $20,000 bail.