Police arrested an Oakland man linked to cocaine and a stolen gun on East 17th Street near Seventh Avenue. Image: Google Maps
Police arrested an Oakland man linked to cocaine and a stolen gun on East 17th Street near Seventh Avenue. Image: Google Maps

Berkeley police arrested a two-time felon in Oakland after searching his home and vehicle and finding 4 ounces of crack cocaine packaged for sale, a stolen loaded gun and nearly two dozen fraudulent debit and credit cards in a hidden compartment.

During the search, which happened April 27, police also recovered more than $7,000 in cash, two digital scales, unused packaging, 12 altered gift cards, a card embosser and a card encoder, according to court documents.

Police searched the person, home and vehicle of 34-year-old Leon Johnson in the 600 block of East 17th Street in Oakland.

According to court papers, a search of Johnson’s cellphones led to the discovery of a text message “indicating that he is selling narcotics.”

The day after the search, police seized another $28,000 from Johnson’s bank accounts.

The Alameda County district attorney’s office charged Johnson with six felonies: possession for sale of cocaine base, transportation of cocaine base for sale, possession of a controlled substance with a firearm, possession of a firearm by a felon, carrying a loaded firearm on one’s person, and carrying a concealed firearm within a vehicle.

Two of the counts also contain clauses that allege Johnson knew the gun to be stolen.

Court documents list five prior convictions going back to 2001: possession of a controlled substance that year, for which he received probation; possession for sale of cocaine base in 2004, for which he received probation; being an accessory after the fact in 2006, which led to prison time; possession of a controlled substance in 2008, another prison sentence; and possession for sale of cocaine base in 2011, which led to probation.

All five of those convictions took place in Alameda County.

Johnson was released after posting a bond for bail in the amount of $240,000.

He is scheduled for a pretrial hearing July 13 at the Rene C. Davidson Courthouse in downtown Oakland.

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Emilie Raguso (former senior editor, news) joined Berkeleyside in 2012 and covered politics, public safety and development until her departure in 2022. In 2017, Emilie was named Journalist of the Year...