2 arrested in Porterville crystal meth case

Two South County men were arrested Tuesday after police found three pounds of suspected crystal methamphetamine in a home near Porterville High School.

Adrian Lopez Sanchez, 28, and Francisco Sanchez, 29, both of Porterville, are being held on suspicion of possession, transportation and distribution of suspected crystal methamphetamine, maintaining a residence where illegal narcotics were being sold, selling a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of Porterville High and conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

Bail for each is set at $150,000.

The arrests are the result of a narcotics search warrant served at 8 p.m. Tuesday at 215 S. Kessing St. by officers with the Porterville Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit and the Southern Tri-County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area unit.

During the search, detectives located approximately 1,350 grams of suspected crystal methamphetamine with a street value of $30,000, scales and packaging material, the Police Department reports. Detectives also reportedly located evidence indicating the suspects were conspiring to distribute crystal methamphetamine within the city.

Both men were booked at the Tulare County Main Jail. The case remains under investigation.