Chula Vista, CA – A 19-year-old man and a 13-year-old boy were arrested Friday during a narcotics surveillance operation in Chula Vista, where authorities say they recovered five kilograms of powdered fentanyl.
According to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office, detectives were conducting surveillance near Third and Orange Avenues around 10 a.m. when they observed a man with a heavy backpack meet with a young boy. After the man handed the boy the backpack, the teen walked into a nearby liquor store.
Detectives approached the 13-year-old to conduct a truancy assessment and discovered the backpack contained five kilograms of powdered fentanyl, a highly lethal synthetic opioid.
Authorities arrested both individuals. The adult suspect, Martin Corona, 19, was taken to the Imperial Beach Sheriff’s Substation. He now faces multiple charges, including:
Narcotics trafficking
Child endangerment
Conspiracy
Corona was already on probation for prior felony narcotics convictions.
The 13-year-old boy, whose identity was withheld due to his age, was cited and released to his parents.
The Sheriff’s Office noted that this arrest is part of an ongoing effort to combat cross-border drug smuggling in the South Bay region, especially involving dangerous substances like fentanyl.
