Taft Deputies - 3 Arrests 

September 5, 2026 – Kern County Sheriff’s Office officials report that on September 4, 2026, deputies from the Taft Substation with the assistance of the Kern County Sheriff’s Office High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force (KC-HIDTA) and Wardens from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife executed a search warrant in the 500 block of Klipstein Street in Maricopa and executed a search warrant in the 400 block of E Street in Taft.

There was a total of 959 marijuana plants, 52 pounds of processed marijuana, and a loaded 9mm semi-automatic handgun located at the Maricopa address.

Jose Hernandez Ramirez (27) from Mexico and Victor de la Cruz Garcia (27) from Mexico were arrested for possession of a firearm while maintaining a place for sales, maintaining a place for sales, possession of marijuana for sales, and marijuana cultivation. There were two firearms located at the Taft address. Alberto Guitron (58) was arrested for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and maintaining a residence for sales. Ramirez, Garcia, and Guitron were subsequently booked into the Kern County Sheriff's Office, Lerdo Justice Facility.

The Taft address is a result of a lengthy marijuana cultivation operation where several search warrants were executed and a total of 2,112 indoor marijuana plants, 873 outdoor marijuana plants, 641.5 pounds of processed marijuana, and two loaded firearms were seized as a result of this investigation.

Source & photos: Kern County Sheriff’s Office