Ventura County officials say the arrest of a man dubbed Mexico's "king of heroin" has removed a half-million doses of the drug from California streets.
At a news conference Monday, authorities said a regional task force spent more than two years working its way up the chain of dealers until the arrest of Jose Antonio Medina last week in Mexico.
Wiretaps and surveillance of two midlevel dealers in the Southern California cities of Downey and Oxnard led to the seizure of more than 130 pounds of heroin in Ventura County in 2008.
Authorities allege Medina sent 440 pounds of heroin across the border each month for distribution from San Diego to San Jose.
It was unknown if Medina has an attorney. Ventura County authorities say they'll request his extradition this week but the process could take weeks or months.
© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.