Fortuna Police Dept Press Release:

FORTUNA, CA – On Memorial Day, the Fortuna Police Department, along with several agencies throughout the State of California, conducted a DUI Saturation Patrol. As a result of this operation, 25 drivers were stopped for various vehicle code violations, 8 drivers were issued citations, two were arrested for driving while unlicensed and three vehicles were stored. One driver was evaluated for DUI, but it was determined that he was not impaired or driving with a BAC of .08 or greater.

One driver, Bryan Corbera (23) was arrested for driving with a suspended license (as a result of a prior DUI), for being in possession of Nitrous Oxide with the intent to inhale (PC §381b). Corbera also had two active arrest warrants. Corbera was in possession of more than 300 hundred whipped cream chargers (AKA Whip-It’s). These whipped cream chargers are steel cartridges filled with nitrous oxide (N2O) that are used as a whipping agent in whipped cream dispensers. The nitrous oxide in these whipped cream chargers is becoming a widely used recreational drug as users inhale it for its psychoactive effects.

“Corbera had enough cartridges in his possession to propel nearly 40 gallons of whipped cream,” said Sergeant Charles Ellebrecht. “It was clear that Corbera was not using these cartridges for their intended purpose.”

All of the officers who participated in this operation have received advanced training in DUI Detection and the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests.

This DUI Saturation operation was funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.