Two arrested, drugs recovered, during narcotics investigation at Beaumont tanning salon

BEAUMONT — Beaumont and Banning residents were surprised yesterday when police officers and detectives descended on a Beaumont tanning salon during the service of a narcotics-related search warrant yesterday afternoon, Wednesday, Oct. 10. Authorities uncovered a variety of illegal narcotics and arrested two people in connection with the investigation.

As the warrant was being served and officials were seen going in and out of Electric Beach Tan & The Fashion Cabana on the 700 block of Beaumont Ave., area residents took to social media, with many asking for details about the heavy police activity and speculating about what officers were doing at the popular business that sits within the Beaumont Towne Centre.

LEADING THE RCNS HEADLINES:

Man suffers critical injuries after hit by Banning train

UPDATED: Pine Cove man, 81, ID’d after fatal Idyllwild crash

SJ motorcyclist, 28, dead after vehicle pulls out in front of rider

The search warrant resulted in the arrests of Gina Nichole Espinoza, 35, of Cherry Valley, and Julian Isaiah Moncada, 19, of Moreno Valley.

Banning PD later explained that as part of an ongoing narcotics investigation, detectives from Beaumont Police Department’s Multiple Enforcement Team served the search warrant about 2:40 p.m.

During the service of the search warrant detectives detained two people inside the business, later identified as Espinoza and Moncada.

Officials eventually discovered “methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana, with indicia of sales from the business,” said BPD.

Both subjects were interviewed and later arrested at the scene and both were eventually booked into Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning, according to authorities.

Espinoza was booked into jail on suspicion of operating or maintaining a drug house, two felony counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, four misdemeanor counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, and two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia. Espinoza remains in custody on $25,000 bail.

Moncada was arrested for an unrelated misdemeanor warrant and later released.

Anyone with information about this investigation is encouraged to contact Beaumont Police Department at (951) 769-8500. Information may also be reported anonymously via email at [email protected] or BPD’s website at beaumontpd.org/crime-tips.