Alexandru Sabau, 37, was arrested near his apartment in Newport Beach Friday after he arrived for a roadside meeting to finalize a drug deal with an informant, Jennifer Silliman, deputy special agent in charge of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Los Angeles airport office said.
Investigators found in the trunk of Sabau's rental car 100,000 Ecstasy tablets, which he intended to trade for 25 kilograms of cocaine, Silliman said. The pills typically sell for $20 each on the street, she said.
"We believe this individual was seeking to bring significant quantities of Ecstasy into Southern California from Canada, which he told our informants he intended to use as collateral to obtain caches of cocaine for export back to Canada," Robert Schoch, special agent in charge of ICE's Los Angeles office said.
Investigators executing a search warrant at Sabau's apartment also found a small amount of cocaine and about $14,000 in cash. Sabau was charged with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. He was ordered held pending a July 8 bail hearing, ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice said. He will be arraigned in U.S. District court July 21. His attorney, Deputy Federal Public Defender Hayne Yoon, declined to comment. Sabau's immigration status was under investigation, Kice said.
His arrest capped a three-month undercover probe which arose from several minor narcotics cases in Santa Monica and West Los Angeles, authorities said.
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