Authorities Seize 2 Houses Used for Drug Sales

Two houses used to deal drugs by an organization that police say has controlled the distribution of cocaine in the northeast San Fernando Valley for nearly a decade were seized by authorities Tuesday.

The houses at 11649 Fenton Ave., Lake View Terrace, and 11236 Adelphia Ave., Pacoima, were taken in what local and federal authorities called the start of a joint effort to follow raids and arrests at drug houses with civil seizure of the properties.

Los Angeles police said that the two houses were operated by the “Bryant Organization” until they were closed Sept. 29 when a 200-officer task force raided 15 locations where members of the ring reportedly lived or sold drugs. The raids were made during an investigation triggered by the slaying of four people Aug. 28 at another drug house the group operated in Lake View Terrace, police said.

Arrests Made

At the Fenton Avenue house, police arrested Lawrence Walter, 21, and confiscated $1,400 in cash and several receipts for the sale of cocaine. At the Adelphia Avenue house, police used the department’s motorized battering ram to crash through two steel doors before arresting William Blalock, 22, and seizing half a pound of crack cocaine.

Both men, who police said lived elsewhere in the area but worked at the houses, face drug charges stemming from the raids. Police said that the two were part of the Bryant Organization, which investigators think had as many as 200 associates before the Sept. 29 raids.

The group is named for brothers Jeffrey and Stanley Bryant, both of Pacoima. Jeffrey Bryant, 37, has been in a state prison since early last year for a violation of parole on a drug conviction. Stanley Bryant, 30, was arrested during the Sept. 29 raids and was jailed on murder charges stemming from the quadruple slaying.

Though houses owned or used by members of the organization have been raided repeatedly by police since the mid-1980s, none of the residences were ever seized by authorities until Tuesday.

Civil Suit

A civil suit seeking forfeiture of the houses, each valued at $120,000, was filed jointly Tuesday by the city attorney’s office and the U.S. attorney’s office. The move is part of a new program in which the agencies will work in unison to seize property used by drug dealers.

“We are raising the ante for drug dealers who use houses for these illegal purposes,” U.S. Atty. Robert C. Bonner said at a press conference at the Fenton Avenue house.

“There are no turf battles anymore,” added City Atty. James Hahn. “The federal and local governments are working together. We want to make it so drug dealers don’t sleep soundly in their houses.”

Authorities identified the owner of both houses as Eddie Barber. Barber, whose address according to Los Angeles County property records is the Adelphia Avenue house, could not be reached for comment. Barber is under investigation on suspicion of allowing drugs to be sold from the house, Bonner said.

Bonner noted that the forfeiture process takes about six months. He said that an owner can seek to halt the loss of a property by demonstrating that he had no knowledge of the activity taking place there.

Unusual System

Authorities said the two houses were part of an unusual sales system in which buyers would go to the Fenton Avenue house, pay for the drugs and then be given a receipt. The buyers then took the receipt to the Adelphia Avenue house to pick up the drugs. Police think it was part of an effort to separate the business’s money from the drugs in case of a raid at the drug location.

The Fenton Avenue house is half a block from an elementary school and about 10 blocks from the defunct Lake View Medical Center, the site of a proposed drug rehabilitation facility to be called the Nancy Reagan Center.

Authorities said that the Fenton Avenue house was in the process of being sold by Barber but that the seizure of the property stopped its sale. However, county records and real estate agent R.C. Smith, who was handling the transaction for Realty World, said escrow closed in January.

While authorities were holding the news conference at the house Tuesday, a man who believed that he now owned the property drove up and learned that the sale was halted.

The man refused to give his name to reporters and left after speaking briefly with authorities. Officials said the man would not lose any money he had paid to purchase the property.