2 arrested after drugs, ghost gun found during traffic stop, SLO County sheriff says

John Lynch
·2 min read
15

The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office arrested two Santa Maria residents after finding two firearms and “large quantities of narcotics” during a traffic stop, the agency said in a Friday news release.

Deputies pulled over a vehicle occupied by 40-year-old Salvador Pompa and 34-year-old Jessika Zepeda on Guadalupe Road at Via Concha Road in Nipomo around 5 a.m. Tuesday due to a “vehicle code violation,” the release said.

At the time, both people were under the influence of a controlled substance, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Pompa was allegedly carrying a concealed, loaded 9mm handgun, which the release called a “ghost gun” because it lacked a serial number.

According to the release, deputies discovered four ounces of suspected methamphetamine, three ounces of suspected fentanyl and a large amount of suspected heroin.

“The amount of suspected fentanyl seized potentially could have contributed to thousands of overdose deaths,” the release said.

Deputies confiscated $2,700 in cash in addition to the drugs, which have a combined street value of approximately $18,000, the release said.

A replica of an M4-style assault rifle was also found in the vehicle, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Zepeda was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy, possession of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance for sale, under the influence of a controlled substance and knowingly bringing a controlled substance into the jail, the release said.

Pompa was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy, being a felon in possession of a firearm, carrying a loaded firearm with a prior felony conviction, possession of a controlled substance while armed with a loaded firearm, transportation for sale of narcotics, transport a controlled substance, knowingly bringing a controlled substance into the jail and several other drug0related charges, the release said.

Pompa and Zepeda were both booked into the San Luis Obispo County Jail, the release said.

Neither were in jail custody as of 4:20 p.m. Friday, according to jail records.