Plumas Lake man suspected of distributing cocaine

When he was arrested early Tuesday, a Plumas Lake man said he began selling cocaine because he'd been laid off from his job, a drug enforcement official said.

Richard Ramirez Ayala, 23, was arrested about 7 a.m. at his family's home in the 1400 block of Freeman Court. It was not clear if Ayala's drug dealing was the reason the house was the target of a drive-by shooting in February, said Mike Hudson, commander of the Yuba-Sutter Narcotic Enforcement Team.

Four shots were fired at the house but no one was reportedly injured.

Ayala lives in the home with his father and mother, two sisters, a brother and a 7-month-old niece, Hudson said.

"There was no indication Ayala was selling the cocaine from the family residence," although he was using it as a base of operation for distributing the drug to "sub-dealers" who were selling it on the street, he said.

Seized Tuesday at the house were an ounce of cocaine, packaging materials, electronic gram scales, a half-ounce of marijuana, a sawed-off shotgun and a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun.

Ayala admitted selling marijuana and cocaine throughout the Yuba-Sutter area, Hudson said. He was arrested on suspicion of selling both drugs in addition to possession of the shotgun and being armed while committing a felony.

Ayala was booked into Yuba County Jail, where bail was set at $30,000.