Big Cocaine Bust Came as Surprise to the Neighbors

Preakness Court is in an area of upscale homes on scenic, grass-covered hills in eastern Placentia.

On Saturday, children were running down the hilly street, flying kites. The scene was typical of a pleasant, quiet Orange County neighborhood. Except for the newsmen and television cameras.

The cameras were focused on the home at 231 Preakness Court where, according to Los Angeles police, nearly three-quarters of a million dollars in cash was seized Friday night during a series of Orange County raids described by police as probably the biggest cocaine bust in California history.

“I just can’t believe it,” said Betty Loadholtz, as she stood across the street from the raided home. “We can see from our window here, and I was sitting by that window last night, and I didn’t see anything. There were a few cars parked out here, but I didn’t see any police cars.”

The story was much the same at two homes in Anaheim that Los Angeles police raided Friday night, arresting residents and seizing evidence. Police said a total of 1,784 pounds of cocaine was found in homes at 2390 Willowbrook Lane and 9562 Ball Road, both in middle-class, residential areas of Anaheim.

“I didn’t even know anyone lived there,” said one neighbor on Willowbrook. “Most of us assumed the place was empty. We never saw anyone.”

The arrests of 11 people in Orange County and the seizure of the extraordinarily large amounts of cocaine apparently caused little stir in any of the neighborhoods. Even police in Anaheim and Placentia said they knew little about the raids.

“Around 9 o’clock last night, they (Los Angeles police) said they would be having some activity in Placentia, and they asked us for a marked car as a backup,” said Placentia Police Sgt. Steve Toth. “I assumed it was some kind of undercover surveillance.” The backup car was never called on, and Los Angeles police gave no details of the raid, he said. And, on Saturday, Anaheim police said they knew next to nothing about the raids on Willowbrook Lane and Ball Road, where almost a ton of cocaine was seized.

In Placentia, the neighbors on Preakness Court said that they saw little of the people who lived at the home where police reportedly seized $730,000.

“I never saw any strange goings-on or strange people,” said Karen Di Vito, who lives nearby. “The couple moved in there about four months ago.” Los Angeles police said three people were arrested at the Preakness Court address Friday night, and it was not immediately clear if they were residents or visitors.

Rich Di Vito, 16, a sophomore at Esperanza High School, said he noticed that the couple had fairly frequent parties, but he said the parties were “were quiet. “

As word of Friday night’s events circulated on Preakness Court, neighbor Betty Loadholtz stood outside and mused, “This is really a quiet neighborhood. I just can’t believe this.”