U.S. Moves to Seize House Used in Drug Transactions

Federal authorities moved Monday to seize an Inglewood residence used as the site of repeated narcotics transactions in what officials said is the first civil forfeiture action against a Southern California “rock house.”

The U.S. attorney’s office alleges that since last September various occupants have sold rock cocaine or “crack” at the house.

Hawthorne real estate broker Melvin Hanberg, who owns the house and two adjacent properties that are subject to seizure, was notified by Inglewood police that the property was being used as a rock house, but he refused to rid the property of the illegal activity, the forfeiture complaint alleges.

“We intend to vigorously pursue landlords who knowingly allow their property to be used for the purpose of selling drugs,” U.S. Atty. Robert C. Bonner said in a press release announcing the forfeiture action.

Should a judge approve the forfeiture, the house will be sold and the proceeds shared with the Inglewood Police Department, Bonner said.

According to an FBI affidavit filed with the forfeiture action, Inglewood narcotics investigators in September observed someone purchasing rock cocaine through a hole in a metal security door on the front of the dwelling. Then cocaine was sold a few moments later to an undercover police officer.

Officers searching the house a few weeks later found more metal security doors inside the house barring the kitchen and bathroom doorways. Windows in the house were fortified with metal security bars.

The occupant of the house, Edgar Shorter, was arrested after he was seen attempting to dispose of rock cocaine in the kitchen sink, authorities said.

Four weapons, all loaded and ready to fire, were found inside the dwelling, according to the FBI affidavit.

In November and December, police looking for cocaine purchasers made arrests at the house. One person was arrested in each of the two months.

Inglewood police sent Hanberg a letter in November notifying him that a rock house was operating on his property, but Hanberg allegedly refused to do anything about it, authorities said.

According to the FBI, Hanberg told investigators that he did not wish to evict the current tenants because they always paid their rent on time and in cash.

Hanberg, who could not be reached for comment Monday, reportedly blamed police for the problem, accusing them of “forcing all the good people to move out of the area,” according to the FBI affidavit.

When asked if it bothered him that the house was being used for the sale of cocaine, Hanberg replied that he wasn’t on “the detectives’ payroll, and that he could rent to anyone he pleased. He further stated he didn’t care how his tenants got their money as long as they paid the rent,” the affidavit reported.

Hanberg was charged in December with knowingly allowing narcotics sales on his property.

Using the federal forfeiture statute, authorities have seized millions of dollars in cash gleaned from narcotics transactions and a variety of other drug-related property ranging from automobiles to boats and airplanes, but the current action represents the first time that authorities in Southern California have attempted to seize a rock house under a 1984 statute, Bonner said.