Task Force Drops ‘The Hammer’ on Drug Dealers, Buyers

A joint operation by the Los Angeles Police Department and federal law enforcement agencies dropped “The Hammer” on Los Angeles drug dealers and buyers this week, netting 46 arrests and nearly $160,000 in cars and cash.

The sweep by more than 60 Police Department, Drug Enforcement Agency and U.S. Marshal’s officers targeted “blatant” drug-dealing on the streets of South and South-Central Los Angeles, putting extra emphasis on arresting customers, Police Chief Daryl F. Gates said at a press conference Friday.

A Warning

Thirty-one automobiles allegedly used by both dealers and buyers were impounded under a federal law allowing vehicles used in illegal acts to be seized by authorities.

“Hopefully, this and other operations will serve as a warning . . . that not only are we going to arrest those who deal narcotics, but we are also going to arrest, prosecute and seize assets of individuals who purchase drugs,” Gates said.

The sweeps were conducted from 3 p.m. to midnight Tuesday through Thursday. Officers identified hot spots where drug-dealing was going on in the street, often by gang members selling to customers in their cars. Customers were then taken into custody and their automobiles seized. After several transactions were made, dealers were then apprehended.

Thirty-four arrests were made for cocaine, heroin or marijuana possession and six for dealing. One other person was arrested for possession of cocaine paraphernalia, while five others were booked for traffic warrant violations.

Along with the automobiles, $349 in cash, $6,338 worth of rock cocaine and $39 in marijuana were also seized. Unlike two other crackdowns since October, no guns were collected in the operation that was dubbed “The Hammer.”

Drugs ‘Are Killing Kids’

“Some people think this is rather severe,” Gates said. “But it’s the users in this nation who are basically responsible for the problems we have, and the hypocrites in this nation who use drugs are killing kids just as surely as drug dealers are.”

But Gates and U.S. Atty. Robert C. Bonner said targeting dealers and buyers is not going to solve the problem. Both stressed that suppliers from South America have to be curtailed to truly make advances in the war on drugs.

Yet Bonner fell short of endorsing a plan Gates proposed Thursday to stage a “friendly invasion” of Colombia to restore order to the judicial system in that country and halt the flow of illegal drugs.

He acknowledged that the Colombian government needs to “re-establish sovereignty for their own people” and said U.S. assistance “is something that should be considered.”

Gates stood behind his comments, saying that although he expects to hear a lot of negative reaction from South American officials, he still thinks it’s a good idea.