96 Apprehended, 16 Vehicles Seized in Drug Sweep

In their second weekend “zero tolerance” operation against Santa Ana’s street drug dealers and buyers, local and federal officers cited or arrested 92 adults and four juveniles and seized 16 vehicles worth an estimated $64,525.

Working from noon Friday until late Saturday night, officers concentrated on two areas near the intersection of First and Bristol streets and along Minnie Street near McFadden and Standard avenues.

They apprehended 58 people on charges related to marijuana, four on charges relating to cocaine or heroin, 14 on immigration law violations and 20 on other charges, said Lt. Bob Chavez, spokesman for the Santa Ana Police Department.

Officers seized about one-quarter ounce of cocaine, about 5 3/4 ounces of marijuana and about one-eighth ounce of other drugs, Chavez said.

The majority of those apprehended were

only cited for misdemeanors, Chavez said, but some had their vehicles impounded under the federal “zero tolerance” program, which permits seizing vehicles even if only a small amount of drugs is found inside. The law permits seized vehicles to be sold by law enforcement agencies to finance anti-drug law-enforcement programs.

Federal officers from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. attorney general’s office and the U.S. marshal’s office participated, along with officers from the Santa Ana Police Department, the Orange County district attorney’s office and Probation Department. Chavez declined to specify the number of officers.

Increase in Officers

He said last weekend’s operation involved more officers than the first operation eight weeks ago, which netted 200 suspects and 36 cars worth an estimated $250,000. That operation has concentrated on Brook Street and the 1st and Bristol areas.

Despite the relatively low yield of drugs seized last weekend, the operations are worthwhile and will continue, Chavez said. The goal, he said, is to concentrate on barrio gangs involved in drug traffic and to shrink blatant drug dealing in Santa Ana by frightening away the street dealers’ customers.

“Probably the best way to sum it up is: ‘Buyer beware. If you come into Santa Ana to buy drugs, you may be involved in losing your vehicle so that law enforcement can further their fight against drugs,’ ” Chavez said.

“The majority of the buyers don’t live in Santa Ana or even in the vicinity. We find that a lot of the dealers live in the city but not in the neighborhood.”

Operations Similar

Chavez said last weekend’s operation was conducted as the first had been: Undercover officers within the neighborhoods looked for drug transactions, then alerted officers waiting outside the neighborhoods. Buyers were followed and apprehended after they left the areas, and dealers were arrested in the neighborhoods, often after they were allowed to conduct several more transactions, Chavez said.

Chavez said that since the first operation along Brook Street last June, “the situation has been visibly better. Of course, that’s why we’re moving throughout the city. The operations are dispersing the dealers, and we’re trying to move with them.”

Chavez said the cars seized during the June operation “are still being processed through DEA and the U.S. marshal. Some have been returned to lien holders. Some were returned to the owners because they didn’t know they were being used for drug purchases. Some are being processed to be used for other law enforcement agencies.”

He said he did not know how long the operations will continue. “That hasn’t been determined. We have to have the cooperation of the U.S. departments involved. Otherwise we can’t use the forfeiture law (to seize vehicles).”