EAST PALO ALTO -- Four picnic tables covered with various pieces of surveillance equipment, drug paraphernalia, over a dozen bags of pseudoephedrine pills and firearms were put on display in East Palo Alto Monday, as city officials discussed a recent raid on a methamphetamine lab.

East Palo Alto residents Angel Lara Garcia, 43, Benjamin Covarrubias Ruezga, 49, and Dimas Magana, 44, along with San Jose resident Marthel Carrillo, 28, Eureka resident Jesus Estrada, 30, and transient Rigoberto Garcia Lara, 19, were all arrested Friday evening in East Palo Alto.

The six men were operating a large methamphetamine extraction lab in a building behind a two-story home at 998 Runnymede, about a half-mile away from the East Palo Alto police station, according to East Palo Alto police Lt. Tom Alipio.

According to Alipio, a warrant was issued to search a Watsonville home at about 6 a.m. Friday after the Soledad Police Department caught wind of a man who was reportedly attempting to buy large amounts of pseudoephedrine pills from a local pharmacy. The stimulant is found in certain cold medicines and is a key ingredient in manufacturing methamphetamine.

Soledad police reportedly found 2,000 pseudoephedrine pills in the Watsonville man's house. Alipio said the man informed officers that he knew of a large methamphetamine lab in East Palo Alto, prompting the Soledad Police Department to contact the East Palo Alto Police Department.

"The majority of the pills that were bought in the Soledad-Watsonville area were transported up to a laboratory here in East Palo Alto," Alipio said.

After securing a search warrant, 30 officers from multiple agencies responded to the Runnymede Street home at about 7 p.m. Friday.

Officers discovered the methamphetamine extraction lab in a building that was rigged with six surveillance cameras, three surveillance monitors and metal doors.

Inside the building officers found $25,000 in cash, 11 handguns, three rifles and five assault rifles.

In addition, police located 66,990 pseudoephedrine pills in packets and tens of thousands of pills that had already been removed from the packets, Alipio said.

"If you're baking chocolate chip cookies, pseudoephedrine is the chocolate chip of the chocolate chip cookie," Alipio said. "Without it all you have is cookie."

In addition to the 66,990 pseudoephedrine pills, police also found one pound of heroin, one pound of cocaine and five pounds of methamphetamine.

A pound of methamphetamine has a street value of about $11,000, while a pound of heroin is priced at $14,000 and a pound of cocaine costs about $10,000, Alipio said.

"It was a very significant haul," said Alipio.

Soledad police Chief Richard Cox agreed, noting that he was surprised by the success of the raid.

"We compared it to setting a trap for a rabbit and we ended up with an elephant," Cox said. "This was quite an endeavor."

According to Alipio, of the six men taken into custody, Garcia is best known as being a major vendor for methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin throughout California, Oregon and Washington.

"We know that he has an extensive history of narcotics violations and weapons violations," Alipio said.

Representatives from the San Mateo County Narcotics Task Force, East Palo Alto Police Department, Soledad Police Department and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration all agreed today that the continued collaboration between jurisdictions will play a key factor in snuffing out drug peddlers throughout the Bay Area.

"This is just the beginning. We're looking forward to some major indictments and arrests in the future," East Palo Alto Police Chief Ron Davis said. "The streets of East Palo Alto are definitely safer today."

The six men arrested are expected to appear in San Mateo County court Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. for their initial arraignments.