Berkeley police serving a search warrant at two homes linked to an Oakland felon last week turned up more than a thousand Xanax and Viagra pills packaged for sale, along with both marijuana and methamphetamine, and several firearms.
Police ultimately arrested 32-year-old Kaechan Saechao after discovering those items during the April 1 searches.
According to court papers, a Berkeley Police detective served search warrants April 1 at two East Oakland apartments linked to Saechao.
During those searches, in the 2900 block of Nicol Avenue and 2200 block of East 17th Street, police said they found 349 Xanax pills and nearly 1,200 Viagra pills packaged for sale, as well as 156 grams of methamphetamine and 1.5 pounds of marijuana.
According to court papers, police recovered one loaded handgun and three unloaded revolvers, as well as $2,500 in cash, digital scales and more packaging materials.
In addition, police said they found three cellphones and text messages referencing narcotics sales.
Saechao has since been charged by the Alameda County district attorney’s office with four felonies: possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine) with a loaded firearm; possession of a firearm by a felon; possession for sale of a controlled substance (methamphetamine); and possession of marijuana for sale.
According to court papers, he has three prior felony convictions in Alameda County — in 2003, 2008 and 2012 — for possession of a controlled substance and, in one case, possession for sale. He was sentenced to prison for the sales conviction in 2008, and received probation in the other instances.
Saechao remains in custody at Santa Rita Jail with a bail of $190,000 and is scheduled for further pretrial April 15.
Though Berkeley Police have declined to comment on drug investigations in the past, they have noted that “it is not uncommon for narcotics investigations to take us into other jurisdictions in the region, as drug dealing operations don’t necessarily follow jurisdictional lines.”
Read more about drugs in and around Berkeley in past Berkeleyside coverage.
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