Warrant Issued For MoVal Man Accused Of Possessing 49 Pounds Of Meth

RIVERSIDE, CA — A convicted felon accused of possessing almost 50 pounds of methamphetamine and several firearms in his Moreno Valley home was being sought by authorities Wednesday after a judge issued a warrant for his arrest.

Alfredo Vallejo Pimienta, 55, was slated to appear for a status hearing a week ago but failed to show when his case was called at the Riverside Hall of Justice.

Pimienta is charged with possession of controlled substances for sale, importation of drugs for sale, three counts of being a felon in possession of a loaded firearm and sentence-enhancing allegations of possessing in excess of 20 kilograms of narcotics.

Riverside County Superior Court Judge Gary Polk on Tuesday revoked the defendant's $100,000 bond and signed a bench warrant for his arrest.

Pimienta's whereabouts were unknown.

According to Sgt. Leondre Radford of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, the defendant had been under surveillance as part of a "long-term investigation" into drug trafficking, based on which deputies were able to obtain a search warrant for Pimienta's apartment in the 23200 block of Hemlock Avenue.

It was served on him the morning of Oct. 16, and a search of the property allegedly resulted "in the seizure of 49 pounds of packaged methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $58,000."

"Deputies also recovered an assault rifle and two semiautomatic handguns, highlighting the potential dangers associated with this illegal activity," the sergeant said.

Pimienta was taken into custody without incident.

Court records show the defendant has a prior felony conviction in another jurisdiction, but the offense wasn't listed.

—City News Service