Vallejo couple busted by DEA on suspicion of meth pill manufacturing operation at elder care facility

United States Drug Enforcement Administration announced a Vallejo couple was arrested on Thursday, February 7 on federal charges of conspiracy to manufacture and distribute a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine. Henry John Benson, 37, and Roselle Pascua Cipriano, 36, were taken into custody at their business, the Genesis Care Home for the Elderly in Vallejo, Calif.

The DEA Sacramento District Office began this investigation in late 2017 when they learned of a suspected counterfeit tableting operation in the Vallejo area. According to court documents, multiple undercover purchases of thousands of tablets were conducted during the investigation.

The tablets varied in color and markings to include: yellow tablets bearing a Kool-Aid form (smiling pitcher), yellow tablets embossed with the likeness of President Donald J. Trump and the word “Trump” stamped on the back, yellow tablets with the Tesla emblem, and blue minion-shaped tablets. Counterfeit alprazolam tablets were also purchased by investigators. Laboratory results on tested pills indicate the presence of methamphetamine.

As the case progressed, agents identified Benson and Cipriano, a married couple, as the suspected source of supply of the pills, with an associated address on Lewis Avenue in Vallejo, Calif. Agents learned that Genesis Care Home for the Elderly was being operated at that address, and business records identify Cipriano as the owner.

On Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019, DEA, with assistance from the Vallejo Police Department, served a federal search warrant at the residence of Benson and Cipriano, which is also the Genesis Care Home for the Elderly. As a result of the search, agents seized approximately 31 pounds of tablets containing suspected methamphetamine, approximately 17 pounds of suspected methamphetamine, one shotgun, and a pill press.

Benson and Cipriano had their initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Sacramento on Feb. 7, 2019, and are being held at the Sacramento County Jail and they are ineligible for bail. The Genesis Care Home for the Elderly remains open, and residents were left in the care of medical staff.