Drugs, Guns, Apparently Stolen Goods Seized in Raid at Downtown L.A. Hotel
Police seized thousands of dollars in drugs, guns and allegedly stolen merchandise Tuesday in a raid at a downtown Los Angeles hotel that they claim has been a hub of criminal activity for years.
The raid at the Travelers Hotel, 553 S. Ceres Ave., came after an “anonymous, reliable informant” told police of activity involving drugs and stolen merchandise at the hotel, Officer Ray Yzguerra said.
“This place has been a problem for years and years,” he said. “It’s had a reputation for this sort of thing for as long as anyone can remember.”
After obtaining search warrants, officers raided three rooms at the hotel, where they found 300 balloons filled with heroin, more than $4,000 in cash, four pistols, a sawed-off semiautomatic rifle, a bullet-proof vest and about a ton of videotape recorders, television sets, and other household appliances, Yzguerra said.
In one of the rooms officers found a 17-year-old boy trying to hide behind a bed and took him into custody for questioning.
They were also seeking the building’s owner to discuss problems at the hotel, Yzguerra said.
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