Officers Arrest 3 Men, Seize 2 Pounds of Cocaine

Ventura County sheriff’s detectives have seized two pounds of cocaine and arrested two San Fernando Valley men and one from Santa Monica, authorities said Thursday.

Assisted by FBI and Santa Paula police members of an interagency task force, the detectives Wednesday raided the Sherman Oaks residence of Steven Zale, 37, and a Los Angeles jewelry store that they believe he operated as a front.

“He had almost no stock” in the store, said sheriff’s Sgt. Gary Pentis after the raid on C. Z. International Watch and Gem store on Cahuenga Boulevard. “The only receipt I could find was for a watch repair, and that was from 1991.”

Zale was arrested at the store along with a suspected associate, Nathan Reznikoff, 52, of Santa Monica, and Ted Roberts, 35, of Chatsworth, who investigators believe was trying to purchase cocaine.

Detectives also seized 2.2 pounds of cocaine, worth about $90,000 on the street, $13,000 in cash and numerous loaded weapons at the shop, Pentis said. Police confiscated two vehicles, a jet ski and a television from Zale’s home on the belief they were purchased with proceeds from his drug sales, Pentis said.

He said the monthlong investigation started when detectives were tipped off that Zale was supplying several dealers in Thousand Oaks with cocaine in pound quantities. Undercover detectives then made cocaine purchases at the Cahuenga Boulevard store, Pentis said.

The three were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy, sales and possession for sale of cocaine, and Zale, a convicted felon, was also arrested on suspicion of possessing a handgun, Pentis said.

Zale was being held in Ventura County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bail. Reznikoff and Roberts were released after posting $20,000 bail each.