51 Officers Seize Stolen Goods, Narcotics : 110 Arrested in Bid to Curb Heroin Sales

A task force of police arrested 110 people and seized $10,000 worth of stolen jewelry, guns and small quantities of narcotics in what police described as a three-day drug sweep targeted at reducing heroin trafficking throughout the San Fernando Valley.

Half of the suspects were arrested in connection with possessing or dealing heroin, police said.

A force of 51 narcotics officers served eight search warrants at homes and apartment buildings in North Hollywood, Van Nuys, Pacoima and Northridge between Wednesday and Friday.

A similar sweep of drug centers was conducted citywide in November, when 700 suspected dealers and users were arrested throughout Los Angeles. In the Valley, Woodley Avenue Park in Van Nuys and apartments on Pierce Street in Pacoima and near Tampa and Parthenia avenues in Northridge were targeted.

Periodic Raids Promised

“Last time the entire city was done at one time. This time all the resources were in the Valley,” said police Valley Bureau Chief Dan Sullivan. “People can expect this kind of thing periodically. Just because the three-day sweep is over, it’s not going to be back to business as usual in Van Nuys or North Hollywood.”

Among those taken into custody in this sweep were 10 suspects allegedly under the influence of PCP--phencyclidine hydrochloride--and five juveniles, one a 16-year-old Pacoima girl who is believed to be addicted to heroin, said Sgt. Rodger Kraus.

In one apartment building on Pierce Street in Pacoima, which is known as a PCP hot spot, 35 people were arrested, Kraus said.

Small quantities of heroin, cocaine and marijuana ready for street sale were confiscated during searches and arrests. Although most of the arrests were made after officers witnessed transactions, undercover officers bought drugs at several of the locations.

Many Dealers Outdoors

Six guns, two of which were stolen, were seized. The warm weather the past three days, Kraus said, brought brought many of the drug dealers outdoors, which made police observation of transactions easier.

“We hit every Valley division where there is known drug activity. You name a community and we were there,” Kraus said. “In some cases we caught them with syringes and needles; others were caught in the middle of burglaries.”

One police officer received a minor hand injury while chasing a suspect. No other injuries or violence erupted, police said.

Sullivan said the information police obtain from suspects often leads to the future arrest of drug dealers and to locations of more problem areas.

“The whole game from my perspective is that if we can remove one heroin addict off the street it will reduce the number of burglaries in the area,” Sullivan said. “It’s a short-term impact to be sure, but when we crack down on the drugs we crack down on the street crime too.”