Photo shows the guns and drugs reportedly seized by the Sheriff’s Department in a March 16 search of a Grover Beach home. Included is an Uzi machine gun in the center. Photo courtesy SLO Sheriff’s Department
Sheriff’s deputies arrested a Grover Beach couple on drug and weapons charges including possession of a machine gun.
Sheriff’s spokesman, Tony Cipolla said in a news release that the Sheriff’s Special Operations Unit on March a served a search warrant at a home in the 1100 block of Grand Ave., Grover Beach and discovered a trove of alleged illegality.
“During the search,” Cipolla said, “detectives seized 163 grams of methamphetamine, 158 grams of fentanyl, two Glock-style ghost handguns, an UZI fully automatic machine gun, and a 12-gauge shotgun.” The Sheriff’s Department said the drugs were worth $6,700. The homeowners were arrested. A “ghost gun” is one made from a DIY kit that has no serial numbers and is untraceable.
An Uzi is an automatic fire compact rifle developed by Israel in 1950 and used by warring factions across the globe ever since. According to a Wikipedia post on Uzis, “From the 1960s through to the 1980s, more Uzi submachine guns were sold to more military, law enforcement and security markets than any other submachine gun ever made.” It has been exported to over 90 countries since being designed by Israeli Army Major Uziel “Uzi” Gal in the late 1940s.
The Sheriff’s Department investigation led to the arrest of Brett Douglass, 46, and Jacquelyn Douglass, 56 of Grover Beach on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm; possession of a machine gun; felon in possession of a firearm; possession of a controlled substance while armed; possession for sale of a controlled substance; and selling controlled substances within 1,000 feet of a school, Cipolla said.
Grover Beach Elementary School, Cipolla said, is located some 493-feet from the Douglass’ home that was searched.
After their being booked into County Jail, Cipolla said a judge granted a bail increase and now both have bail set at $250,000.
