3 arrested in drug bust

Deepa Bharath

COSTA MESA -- Police arrested three men Monday night after officers

discovered marijuana plants and packaged marijuana in their apartment,

officials said.

Two of the men -- Jeff Ryan Wiles, 21, and Gregory Thomas Wiles, 23 --

who are brothers, lived in the apartment in the 700 block of Wilson

Street, said Costa Mesa Police Lt. Dale Birney.

Officers responded to a disturbance call about 11:30 p.m., he said.

“When they went into the apartment, they saw this man bleeding from

the head, screaming and acting aggressive as if he wanted to attack the

officers,” Birney said.

Police arrested the man, later identified as 26-year-old Klaus Careaga

of Costa Mesa, without incident. Careaga was also determined to be under

the influence of a controlled substance, Birney said.

Because of Careaga’s actions, the officers did a “safety sweep” of the

apartment -- basically a thorough search to make sure nobody else was

hurt.

Birney said that was when they discovered two marijuana plants, about

28 grams of packaged marijuana and a hydroponic lab with lights to grow

the plants.

“Officers found only two plants, but because of the presence of the

lab, the lights and the packaged marijuana, we believe they have been in

the process of cultivating the drugs for a while,” he said.

Birney said it is not clear how Careaga got hit in the head, adding

that the Wiles brothers said Careaga came to their apartment and refused

to leave.

Jeff Wiles was arrested on suspicion of possessing marijuana plants

for sale and possessing a controlled substance. Gregory Wiles was

arrested on suspicion of possessing a controlled substance.

Nobody else was hurt in the incident, Birney said.