On Oct. 8, Los Angeles police officers and federal agents arrested 23 out of 28 suspects in a series of raids targeting drug dealers operating out of Skid Row, a Los Angeles neighborhood with high rates of poverty, drug addiction and homelessness. Defendants have been charged in federal criminal complaints with trafficking drugs including fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine and phencyclidine.
During the investigation law enforcement searched 20 residences, most of which were outside Skid Row, as well as several tents associated with drug dealing in the area. Officers seized evidence including firearms, luxury vehicles and stockpiled drugs.
First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli described the drug traffickers targeted in the operation as preying on some of the most vulnerable members of the community, promising that “We will use every lawful tool to dismantle the networks flooding Skid Row with deadly drugs. Those dealing drugs are looking at mandatory prison sentences. This operation is just the beginning. More to come.”
Prosecutors allege that defendants dressed like members of Skid Row’s homeless population to blend in, operating out of tents and cars. If convicted, defendants would each face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
