3 arrested in Grass Valley drug bust tied to storage unit operation
Three Northern California residents were arrested on July 7 in connection with an ongoing investigation into suspected drug trafficking operations centered around a Grass Valley storage facility, the Nevada County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday.
Kalen Turner, 34, of Nevada City, was arrested alongside Maya Hylan, 25, also of Nevada City, and Matthew Catania, 34, of Grass Valley. This was the second arrest of Turner in four days, as he was taken into custody on June 3 after being found in possession of several drugs, including what the sheriff's office described as "a sizable amount of fentanyl."
Detectives and deputies focused their attention on a storage unit located on Loma Rica Road in Grass Valley. The unit was determined to belong to Turner and Hylan.
On July 2, the sheriff's office said it deployed a K9, which alerted deputies to the presence of drugs in the storage space.
A search warrant was issued later that day. Inside the unit, investigators discovered suspected fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, drug paraphernalia, and a large quantity of ammunition. The sheriff's office said that the evidence pointed to drug sale activity being conducted within the unit.
Deputies returned to the location on July 7 and arrested Turner and Hylan as they were leaving the storage unit. Catania, who was also on-site, was arrested for his outstanding warrant. All three were taken into custody without incident.
After his initial arrest, Turner faced a charge of possession of a controlled substance with two or more prior convictions, under California's Proposition 36 that voters passed last year. He now faces a range of new felony charges, including drug- and weapons-related offenses, the sheriff's office said.
Hylan was charged with similar offenses, including narcotics sales, use of a leased space for drug trafficking, possession of a controlled substance, and unlawful possession of tear gas. Catania was taken into custody for an outstanding misdemeanor warrant related to drug offenses.
