Costa Mesa : Police Arrest 114, Shut Down 2 Motels
Costa Mesa police have closed down two motels on Harbor Boulevard and arrested 114 people in eight days on prostitution and narcotics charges in a crackdown prompted by complaints from businessmen and homeowners in the area.
Police Sgt. Tom Boylan said the Kon Tiki Motel at 2205 Harbor Blvd. and the Tahiti Hotel at 450 Victoria St. were closed Tuesday night because the owners violated sections of the fire code related to safety by allowing the sale of narcotics inside the buildings.
In the past eight days, police have arrested 36 people for selling cocaine inside the motel rooms. Another 78 people were arrested along Harbor Boulevard between the San Diego Freeway and MacArthur Boulevard for offenses that included drug dealing and prostitution.
The narcotics and prostitution investigation began two months ago after business owners and passers-by complained that a one-block stretch of Harbor Boulevard from Victoria to Wilson streets was swarming with prostitutes and drug dealers, Boylan said.
The police formed a task force called “Operation Bellhop” because many of the complaints had focused on the two motels.
The police served two search warrants on the motels during the investigation. Last Friday, police arrested 15 people at the Kon Tiki, where people allegedly were dealing out of four rooms.
On Wednesday night, police searched the Tahiti, where 21 people were arrested for dealing out of eight rooms.
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