The Los Angeles police together with the SWAT team seized the suspected Skid Row's Drug Kingpin in the Cerritos neighborhood on Wednesday. The arrests were part of the widening manhunt for narcotics suspects in the the downtown area, popular for many homeless people who struggle with addiction.
The group arrested 16 narcotics suspects, including Skid Row's drug kingpin Derrick Turner, who was charged with three drug-related felonies, including conspiracy, possession of narcotics for sale, and receiving the proceeds of drug sales. He was taken into custody at his residence on Teresa Court in Cerritos, ABC7 reported. The authorities confiscated $600,000 in one-dollar bills and a variety of drugs. The Drug Enforcement Administration also helped in the overnight raid.
"The fact it was $1 bills tells you a lot about his business on Skid Row," LAPD Capt. Andrew Neiman told the Los Angeles Times.
Authorities claimed that the alleged Skid Row's drug kingpin supplied heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine. During his arrest, he came out in pajamas and surrendered fully to the SWAT team. Police said they were following Turner for some time and that they received information that he was armed with an AK-47 and a scoped rifle. Authorities have already uncovered $1.8 million, 13 kilos of cocaine, 22 pounds of methamphetamine, and 20 pounds of heroin in the early raids, according to the New York Daily News.
Aside from Skid Row's drug kingpin, three other men were also charged with the same offenses. The raids were the latest in years after authorities have begun to crack down on drug selling in the Los Angeles downtown. The drug bazaar targeted homeless groups addicted to drugs. Just recently, 15 people have been ill due to synthetic marijuana overdose.
According to police, the raid was separated from the previous overdose case in Skid Row. They are still tracking down the four other narcotics suspects in the area.
