6 Colombians Held : 261 Pounds Seized in Van Nuys Cocaine Bust

Police and federal drug agents arrested six Colombian citizens in Van Nuys and seized 261 pounds of cocaine with an estimated street value of $44 million in what Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl F. Gates on Tuesday called the city’s first substantial drug bust of the new year.

Detectives watching suspected cocaine dealers spotted a transaction in a parking lot at Van Nuys Boulevard and Sherman Way on Monday afternoon, made four arrests and confiscated 10 pounds of narcotics, Gates said.

Officers later found the rest of the cocaine and $212,000 in cash at the apartment of one of the suspects in the 16400 block of Saticoy Street and arrested two more suspects, he said.

Those arrested were identified as Luiz Londano, 26; Dario Correa, 39; Maria Hurtado, 20; Hernan Jaramillo, 46; Teresa Garcia, 24, and Walter Torres, 28. All were booked on suspicion of possession of cocaine for sale. They were held on $100,000 bail each.

As usual in large cocaine seizures, officials refused to release details of the investigation leading to the arrests.

“For us to go into any details at all puts these detectives . . . in great jeopardy,” Gates said.