57 Arrested in Sales of Drugs Near Schools

Fifty-seven suspected drug dealers were arrested near San Fernando Valley schools this week in what police described as a two-day, concentrated effort to deter narcotics traffickers from targeting children.

Those arrested on a variety of drug charges ranged in age from 14 to 51, said Los Angeles Police Lt. Gary Rogness, head of the Valley’s narcotics task force. All but five charged were adults.

Rogness said 29 of the 57 suspects were arrested within 1,000 feet of a schoolyard--a circumstance that would automatically add two years to their sentences if they are convicted. Standard drug convictions carry sentences of three to six years in state prison, said Ted Goldstein, a spokesman for the city attorney’s office.