A Turlock couple was arrested by the Merced County Sheriff’s Department Thursday afternoon as part of a months-long narcotics investigation.
In addition to the arrest, deputies seized a vast quantity of narcotics, guns, and ammunition from the couple’s residence and put the woman’s two children into protective custody.
Arrested were Eduardo Trujillio, 20, and Erica Valenzuela, 29. Trujillio was booked into Merced County Jail on more than a dozen felony drug, weapon, and gang charges, as well as unrelated warrants for assault, narcotics possession, reckless driving, and a weapons violation. He was also wanted by Stanislaus County for a high speed pursuit. Trujillio is a documented gang member, according to the Merced County Sheriff’s Department. He remains in custody in lieu of a $785,000 bail.
Valenzuela was arrested on suspicion of felony child endangerment and felony chemically manufacturing controlled substances. She was booked into Stanislaus County Jail with a bail amount of $250,000.
The sheriff’s department made the arrest around 1:30 p.m. Thursday at an apartment in the 100 block of Twentieth Century Boulevard. At the residence deputies found more than one pound of marijuana, 16 grams of cocaine, eight ounces of concentrated cannabis, a large supply of ammunition, and a firearm. Trujillio is a convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing firearms.
The sheriff’s department took Valenzuela’s two children — a 3-year-old and a 12-year-old — to Child Protective Services because of the amount of drugs found at the home.