Penny ante drug deals mounted up, police say

LAPD detectives say Sam Flemming was truly skid row’s nickel and dime drug dealer.

LAPD narcotics detectives said that when they arrested him last Thursday after watching him sell rock cocaine in the heart of skid row, they found $11,000 in his pockets.

But when they got a search warrant for his apartment -- a block from the LAPD’s Central Station -- they found 1.5 pounds of cocaine and $135,035 in bills and coins.

What detectives say was more shocking was that $11,000 was in dollar bills and about $6,000 was in quarters, nickels and dimes.

There were so many aging bills and piles of coins that he kept them in black plastic shopping bags.

“It took six hours to count with machines,” LAPD Lt. Paul Vernon said. “I haven’t seen money like that outside of a Vegas casino.”

Flemming isn’t talking, police say. But detectives say he sold primarily to homeless drug addicts.

“Based on who his clients are, we believe he was selling a little bit of rock cocaine to people on skid row for dollars and coins,” Vernon said.

“They’d beg for the money and maybe get a few bucks for little odd jobs and then they’d buy drugs from him,” Vernon said.

A citizen’s tip led Police Det. Burt Feldtz and his fellow investigators to Flemming, 55, who was living in the Volunteers of America residence in the 600 block of Wall Street.

“We got a tip from a local resident that this man, Sam Flemming, was dealing drugs on skid row,” said Feldtz, who leads the local narcotics unit. “He thought he could hide in plain sight, living a block south of the police station.”

Last Thursday, detectives watched Flemming make the short walk from his apartment to 5th Street and San Julian -- two blocks from the police station at 6th and Wall -- to sell his wares.

Flemming has eight prior felony arrests, Vernon said. “We hope this guy is like a cat and this will be the ninth life in his criminal life.”

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richard.winton@latimes.com