Murrieta, Temecula Men Suspected Of Smuggling Drugs From Mexico

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — A months-long narcotics investigation into two men from Southwest Riverside County led to their arrests over the weekend, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

The men were identified as Victor Julian Novodoczky, 34, of Murrieta, and Mathew Gabriel Agajanian, 33, of Temecula. Both were taken into custody Sunday when their vehicle was stopped as they returned from the San Ysidro border crossing, according to the sheriff's department.

Jail records show the men were flagged at the northbound Interstate 15 Border Patrol checkpoint near Temecula. They were arrested after a vehicle search turned up approximately 39 ounces of fentanyl and just under an ounce of methamphetamine, the sheriff's department reported.

Also in the vehicle were Wildomar residents Tristan Ogle, 28, and Jacqueline Alisa Ramirez, 33. Both were also arrested.

The four suspects were booked into county jail on suspicion of multiple felony narcotics charges, and are each being held in lieu of $200,000 bail, according to the jail records.

The investigation into Novodoczky and Agajanian began in December when deputies with the Lake Elsinore Sheriff’s Station Special Enforcement Team learned that two people were allegedly transporting narcotics from the U.S.-Mexico border into Riverside County.

"The subjects were known to routinely walk across the border into Mexico, conceal narcotics, and return to the United States," according to the sheriff's department.

The law enforcement agency eventually identified the suspects as Novodoczky and Agajanian, though it's unclear how.