Federal and Los Angeles law enforcement target Skid Row in drug trafficking bust
Federal agencies and local law enforcement partnered in a targeted Skid Row operation on Thursday, cracking down on drug trafficking in the Los Angeles area.
The Los Angeles Police Department said the Operation Skid Row focused on drug-related criminal activity, "dismantling high-level criminal enterprises." LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said a series of well-established gangs are involved.
"That is why this is such a historic operation. It is the largest operation targeting Skid Row and these drug dealers in Los Angeles history," Hochman said in a Thursday news conference.
LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said Thursday's enforcement was the culmination of more than six months of joint investigative work among the LAPD, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Of the 28 federally indicted suspects, 23 were arrested on Thursday, including residents of West Covina and Studio City. Seizures included guns, cash, luxury vehicles, along with methamphetamine and fentanyl. "We've also seen a resurgence of crack cocaine, PCP, and certainly heroin being used in the Skid Row area," McDonnell said.
The U.S. Attorney's Office alleges that "Skid Row drug dealers dress like members of the homeless population or social workers in order to blend in with the environment and evade detection by law enforcement, using tents and makeshift structures to hide their illicit activities from public view ..."
Compared with Free MacArthur Park's summer raids, Hochman said Skid Row covers a 50-block area, making the park's enforcement almost like a test run for Thursday's massive operation.
"We are taking away generational players in Skid Row," by getting rid of drug suppliers, Hochman said. He emphasized it was not an immigration enforcement operation.
Mayor Karen Bass said, "It's about getting criminals off the street who prey on vulnerable Angelenos, including those who are unhoused and struggling with addictions, who are experiencing mental health crises."
In all, 29 search warrants were served in connection with the operation, 14 of them within the city of Los Angeles, 15 outside of the city, including other areas in LA, Ventura, and San Bernardino counties, Hochman said.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said that during the raid, 20 residences were searched, mostly outside of Skid Row, as well as several tents associated with drug dealing inside Skid Row.
"We are very focused on not just having a one-dimensional, go out and take off street dealers; we're trying to get street dealers, mid-level distributors, and then the source of those drugs as well," McDonnell said.
