NARCOTICS UNIT

The Oxnard Police Department contributes to two efforts in the fight against narcotics–the West County Street Team, and its participation in the Ventura County Combined Agency Narcotics Task Force. 

WEST COUNTY STREET TEAM 

The West County Street Team (WCST) consists of narcotics detectives from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, The Oxnard Police Department, and the Port Hueneme Police Department. The narcotics detectives are tasked with following up on complaints of narcotics activity and initiating proactive investigations regarding the sales and distribution of narcotics into the community.   

VENTURA COUNTY COMBINED AGENCY NARCOTIC TASK FORCE (VCAT)

The Ventura County Combined Agency Narcotic Task Force, or VCAT, is a multi-agency task force developed to target major drug traffickers and interdict the impact of drugs in our community. The taskforce is comprised of two teams of investigators each supervised by a sergeant. Teams are currently staffed by members of the Oxnard Police Department, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department, and agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI). The task force collaborates with many other local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.  By combining personnel and working together, the task force can target mid to high level drug traffickers, which generally involves lengthy and sophisticated investigations. Targeting major drug traffickers involves identifying sources of supply and working up their organizational structure to arrest and convict all of the individuals playing critical roles. VCAT members are also responsible for the investigation, dismantling, and processing of clandestine labs encountered in the county.