Parents arrested as son, 5, found with cocaine in his system

A 5-year-old boy in Southern California tested positive for cocaine after authorities found him in the back of his father's car, next to half a pound of the drug.

The child's father, Marco Cuevas, was arrested Thursday after a three-month investigation into drug sales in Ventura County, NBC LA reports. The Ventura County Sheriff's Office says it believes Cuevas was behind an uptick in cocaine sales and use in the area, and that he sold the drug to teens and young adults.

Cuevas was arrested at a gas station in Moorpark during what authorities thought was going to be a drug deal. Investigators found several ounces of cocaine on Cuevas, and half a pound in his SUV. The boy was tested for cocaine, and the preliminary results came back positive, authorities said; they are not sure how he ingested the drug.

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Cuevas' wife, Sandy, was also in the vehicle, holding $10,000 in suspected drug money. When officials searched the Cuevas' home in Sylmar, they say they found hundreds of pill prescriptions, several pounds of marijuana, 16 guns, almost 3,000 rounds of ammunition, and $75,000 cash. Marco and Sandy Cuevas were both arrested on suspicion of selling cocaine and child endangerment. In addition to their 5-year-old son, they have three other children.