Small Alligator Discovered During Drug Raid At Port Hueneme Home

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Authorities conducting a drug bust at a Port Hueneme home Tuesday night got a surprise when they discovered an alligator.

Oxnard police report that they found the four-foot-long alligator while raiding a home in the 2500 block of Peninsula Road just before 6:30 p.m.

The alligator was found in a "poorly secured tank with rancid water," police said in a news release.

Police called in the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to rescue the alligator and transport it to a secure location. It was unclear where it was moved to.

The alligator could have potentially escaped into the Channel Islands Harbor area, police said.

Its owner, 44-year-old Donny Askar, was arrested on felony charges of possession for sale of heroin and methamphetamine, police said. He also faces one count of misdemeanor animal cruelty.