Police Seize Stolen Merchandise, Cocaine, Cash in 2 Separate Raids

Law enforcement officers from two jurisdictions this week put on display a variety of goods seized as a result of separate three-week investigations into criminal activities stretching across city boundaries from Long Beach to Azusa.

County sheriff’s deputies from the Pico Rivera station arrested five people in solving a series of thefts of merchandise destined for retail stores. The merchandise, mostly in cartons and stacked on pallets, is valued at more than $300,000. It includes electronic equipment, clothing, detergent and assorted household furnishings.

Also confiscated were five vehicles and 15 weapons, some of which are displayed in the top photo. Deputies exhibited the stolen cargo for the press Tuesday at the sheriff’s training center in the Whittier area. They said the arrests and seizures were made in Azusa and South El Monte.

In Long Beach the same day, police displayed $320,000 in cash, two firearms, two cellular telephones and seven vehicles that were seized after a three-week drug investigation. Officer Al Bratcher, bottom photo, unloads 10 kilos of cocaine taken when officers served search warrants in four locations in Maywood and Bell.

Five suspects were arrested in the raids during early morning hours Monday. All were booked on charges of conspiracy and possession of cocaine for sale. They were being held in lieu of $2 million bail. The suspects are residents of Long Beach, South Gate, Maywood and Bell.