L.A. Raid Nets $1 Million in Marijuana, 8 Arrests

Los Angeles officers have seized $1 million worth of marijuana from a Jamaican drug trafficking ring in the LAPD’s Rampart Division, Police Chief William J. Bratton announced Friday.

Eight alleged members of the ring were arrested and more than $145,000 in cash confiscated in the sting conducted by Rampart narcotics officers acting on a tip from federal drug agents.

“Los Angeles continues to have a major drug problem,” Bratton said, announcing the raid at a news conference Friday.

Officers displayed military-style weapons and photographs of the marijuana haul for reporters, touting what they said was one of the largest recent drug seizures by local law enforcement.

Bratton said seven of the eight people arrested had previous felony convictions. They had been deported but had illegally reentered the country, he said.

As the national spotlight has focused on illegal immigration, the LAPD’s policy on the issue has come under scrutiny.

Under a departmental rule known as Special Order 40, officers do not routinely ask people about their immigration status, but they do arrest those who have been previously deported after being convicted of serious crimes.

Bratton said Friday that the Rampart drug bust reinforced his support for the current policy.

The arrests occurred Thursday afternoon when detectives staking out an apartment complex in the 3300 block of West 2nd Street saw several men loading duffel bags into a car, authorities said. They later stopped the car, arresting two men and confiscating 200 pounds of marijuana.

Later in the afternoon, another man at the apartment loaded a car with bags and was taken into custody, authorities said. Shortly after, detectives raided the unit. According to authorities, two men tried to flee by jumping out a second-story window but were arrested. One injured an ankle.

Officers found about 25 large bales of marijuana inside the apartment, authorities said, and seized five semiautomatic pistols, a .223-caliber Colt AR-15 assault rifle, and a 9-millimeter assault rifle fitted with a silencer.

They also found a money counting machine and $10,200 in money orders, according to authorities.

Those arrested were Martin Torvor, 39; Ion Osbourne, 29; Sylvester Allen, 37; Carlos Brady, 40; Trevor Dalhouse, 52; Hugh Lywood, 44; Dennis Barnes, 47; and Larick Matheson, 55. Each is being held on suspicion of multiple narcotics offenses. All but Matheson reentered the country illegally, federal officials said.

Jon Goldberg, assistant special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Los Angeles office, said the marijuana had been smuggled over the border from Mexico.

LAPD officials said that last year, the department seized more than $600 million in narcotics, $10 million in cash and 683 guns related to drugs.