Santa Cruz drug busts taken over as federal fentanyl trafficking cases

SANTA CRUZ — Prosecutors have charged three men with federal crimes related to drug possession and distribution amid what the county sheriff is calling a local fentanyl health crisis.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California announced Wednesday its filings against Miguel Geronimo, 30, Jesus Nunez Martinez, 49, and Oscar Angel Alvarez, 28. The cases led to a joint street enforcement operation on July 11 that focused on the open-air fentanyl markets in the Santa Cruz area

The street operation...