Police in California discovered a four-foot alligator during a recent drugs bust at a waterfront home.
Police in Oxnard, around an hour from Los Angeles, said in a statement on Wednesday that they learned during a narcotics investigation that the suspect involved “may be in possession of an alligator”.
During the search on Tuesday evening, officers reported finding an alligator, approximately four feet in length, along with heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine.
Officials said the creature “was found submerged in a poorly-secured tank with rancid water”.
Authorities expressed concerns that the reptile could have escaped into the Channel Islands Harbor from the waterfront home.
Wardens from the Department of Fish and Wildlife responded to secure the alligator before transporting it to a safe and secure location.
The subject of the investigation, 44-year-old Donny Askar, was arrested on felony charges for possession for sale of heroin, methamphetamine and animal cruelty.
He also faces one count of illegal possession of an alligator, a misdemeanor.
The Oxnard Police Department Drug Enforcement Unit, Special Enforcement Unit, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife conducted the joint investigation.
