OBN Agents Find Drugs Buried In Backyard, Men With Ties To Mexican Cartel Arrested

Residents living in an Oklahoma City neighborhood near S.E. 44th and Shields are breathing a sigh of relief following two arrests.

Agents with the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics unearthed drugs buried in the backyard of a home that investigators said was used to stash drugs. The discovery led to the takedown of two key members of a large drug operation with ties to the Mexican Cartel.

“It’s kind of disturbing when you have children, my neighbors have children,” said concerned resident Jesse Trout.

What OBN agents discovered

At the home following a traffic stop, agents arrested Irvin Dolores and Juan Gutierrez--identified by agents as lieutenants in a large drug operation responsible for smuggling illegal drugs into Oklahoma.

Investigators say there's no question-- the two men weren't working alone.

What investigators say they found in the home

Inside the house, OBN agents uncovered a cache of drugs and money.

“A combination of methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl. which has a potential street value of several million dollars-- and enough dosage units for nearly a quarter million people,” said Mark Woodward with the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics.

The drugs were concealed in and around the home, buried in the backyard, inside a freezer, inside bedroom closets, and even under a steering wheel. 

“They are very important and high-value targets, but are by no means running the operation,” said Woodward.

How neighbors reacted to the arrests

Jesse Trout lives across the busy neighborhood street.

“A highway, a lot of youngsters think they’re on the dragstrip,” said Trout. 

Trout said over the years he's grown more concerned about his proximity to the nearby drug activity.

“I watch it change hands all the time,” said Trout.

He says for the most part the stash house remained quiet.

“I didn’t see a lot of people coming to the house, but I saw them leaving a lot and I just assumed they were going to work,” said Trout.

Recently, Trout said new people moved into the home. The single father said he was grateful arrests were made. “What if something really went wrong, there was a big shootout there and I’m across the street. These aren’t brick homes, these are wooden homes. That's my life or my son’s life,” said Trout. 

OBN said Mexican cartels often use Oklahoma as a base for drug operations due to its proximity to the border and the highway system.

Agents said that had the drugs reached the streets of Oklahoma City there's no doubt Oklahomans would have died.