15 Suspected Drug Buyers Arrested in ‘Sting’
A police “sting” operation netted 15 men and women suspected of attempting to buy cocaine in a central city neighborhood, authorities said Saturday.
The sting is one of a continuing series of undercover operations in various parts of the city targeted at drug buyers, instead of sellers, police said.
The latest effort targeted the city’s Oakview area, around Beach Boulevard and Slater Avenue, said Sgt. Jerry Evans.
The Friday night operation targeted those people who came to buy drugs on the street because “if you eliminate the purchasers, then the dealers go on somewhere else,” Evans said.
About 10 officers posed as drug dealers and made the arrests on the spot, charging prospective buyers from as far away as Los Angeles and Mission Viejo with soliciting the purchase of a controlled substance.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
