Police officers serving an arrest warrant Monday for a Morgan
Hill man discovered crystal methamphetamine – with an estimated
street value of $5,000 – in the residence.
Police officers serving an arrest warrant Monday for a Morgan Hill man discovered crystal methamphetamine – with an estimated street value of $5,000 – in the residence.
Officers arrived at the Madrone Mobile Estates at 200 Burnett Ave., to serve 40-year-old Morgan Hill resident John Howland with a $5,000 warrant for possession of drug paraphernalia. Upon entering the home, officers noticed the drug, including two lines of powdered crystal methamphetamine, on the kitchen table. Howland and Steven Quinones, 49, of San Jose, were arrested and booked into county jail on suspicion of possession for sale of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and conspiracy.
“This is a great example of the effectiveness of pro-active police work and the benefit of a task force like (the Unified Narcotic Enforcement Team),” Sgt. David Swing said. “Our officers took it upon themselves to serve a warrant and came across a quarter pound of crystal. Once they found the drugs, we were able to call UNET, who committed additional resources, including four agents, until 3 am processing the scene. It would have been much more difficult to handle this ourselves.”
Meth is the current popular drug on the street, MHPD Lt. Joe Sampson said Tuesday. It’s easy to convert raw or powder into the crystal form, and it is smoked or crushed into powder and injested through the nose.
Agents from UNET assisted in the processing of the scene and recovered additional items including paraphernalia, packaging materials, cutting agent and cash.
“The UNET agents always do a follow-up, continue to interview suspects with the intention of getting information which may tie them into any manufacturer, or bigger fish, so to speak, and occasionally they get some information to work with,” Sampson said. “They always continue to investigate.”
