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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