U.S. Seizes 2 Homes Tied to Drug Dealers

Police and federal agents Friday seized two homes in the San Fernando Valley worth a total of about $600,000 that allegedly were connected to cocaine dealing, prosecutors said.

Under federal law, homes and other property purchased with drug proceeds or used for drug transactions can be seized and then sold, with the money divided among federal, state and local agencies to finance enforcement of drug laws.

The homes, in the 8600 block of Corbin Avenue in Canoga Park and the 20800 block of Kingsbury Street in Chatsworth, were seized by U.S. marshals, Drug Enforcement Administration agents and Los Angeles police officers. The Chatsworth home was valued at about $400,000, and the Canoga Park home was valued at about $200,000.

Both homes were linked to a cocaine trafficking organization managed by Brian Bennett, who was indicted Dec. 6 and is awaiting trial, according to the government’s lawsuits demanding the forfeiture of the homes. The indictment against Bennett alleges that the ring sold 5,500 pounds of the drug for more than $22 million during a 4-month period.

Assistant U.S. Atty. Carolyn Reynolds said the Canoga Park home was deeded by the previous owner to Bennett’s mother to pay off a narcotics debt. The Chatsworth home was bought with narcotics proceeds and used in Bennett’s alleged drug distribution between February and December, 1988, Reynolds said.