Alleged Heroin Dealer Caught

Watsonville police arrested four people, including a wanted gang member, Tuesday in connection with alleged heroin sales and use in the city.

Gang unit officers watched Juan Meras, 31, as he allegedly sold heroin to two Watsonville residents, Veronica Carrillo, 26 and Maksym Arestin, 24, in the parking lot of Mi Pueblo Market on Freedom Boulevard, police reported.

Some officers arrested Meras, aka Isabel Murillo, while other investigators followed the car of the people to whom he'd allegedly sold drugs. Carrillo and Arestin were pulled over. Arestin allegedly had hash oil and marijuana; Carrillo had two syringes and a small amount of heroin, police said. Both were arrested.

Police said they found six grams of black tar heroin in Meras' vehicle as well as syringes, a small amount of methamphetamine and methadone pills.

Meras was jailed on suspicion of possessing narcotics for sale, drug paraphernalia and a controlled substance, as well as a gang charge and a probation violation.

Later in the day, officers used Meras' seized cell phone to set up a "reverse buy" by answering the incoming calls. Jesus Avalos, a 35-year-old Watsonville man, was cited for allegedly soliciting narcotics when he tried to order drugs from an undercover gang unit officer, police said.