MANTECA – A San Joaquin County Superior Court judge ruled on Monday that four Tracy men who face drug charges must return to court on Dec. 28 for a pre-preliminary hearing.

Rodrigo Velarde, 35, Arturo Alvarez, 35, Jose Cabral, 28, and Jose Meza, 32, appeared together in court on Monday for an arraignment hearing.

They were arrested by agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration when a federal search warrant was served on the morning of Nov. 30 at a house on the 11600 block of Larch Road.

All four men are charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance for sale. Velarde also faces additional charges of being armed with a firearm, receiving stolen property, possession of a firearm as a narcotics addict, and armed during a criminal act.

Meza and Velarde entered pleas of not guilty to all the charges. Cabral and Alvarez did not enter a plea.

By law, a pre-preliminary hearing must be set within 10 days of an arraignment hearing. On Monday, attorney’s for the four defendants told Judge Ron Northup that their clients agreed to waive that time requirement, and the judge set the next hearing for Dec. 28.

A preliminary hearing was also scheduled for Jan. 2, both at 8:30 a.m. in the Manteca courthouse.

Meza and Cabral remain free on bail. Velarde and Alvarez are being held at the San Joaquin County Jail in French Camp without bail.

• Contact Denise Ellen Rizzo at 830-4225 or drizzo@tracypress.com.