“That is why this is such a historic operation. It is the largest operation targeting Skid Row and these drug dealers in Los Angeles history,” said LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman on Thursday.
Federal agencies and local law enforcement partnered in a targeted Skid Row operation on Thursday, cracking down on drug trafficking across the Los Angeles area in what officials are calling a historic enforcement action.
Multi-Agency Sweep Targets Generational Players
The Los Angeles Police Department stated that the effort, designated Operation Skid Row, focused on drug-related criminal activity aimed at “dismantling high-level criminal enterprises.” Nathan Hochman noted at a Thursday news conference that a series of well-established gangs are involved in the illicit networks.
LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell explained that Thursday’s enforcement served as the culmination of more than six months of joint investigative work. The multi-agency effort involved the LAPD, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Indictments and Sophisticated Concealment Tactics
Authorities indicted 28 suspects on federal charges. Of those, 23 were arrested on Thursday, with suspects including residents of West Covina and Studio City. Investigators seized a variety of illicit goods and assets, including firearms, cash, luxury vehicles, methamphetamine, and fentanyl.
“We’ve also seen a resurgence of crack cocaine, PCP, and certainly heroin being used in the Skid Row area,” McDonnell said during the briefing.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, suspects engaged in sophisticated concealment tactics. Investigators allege that “Skid Row drug dealers dress like members of the homeless population or social workers in order to blend in with the environment and evade detection by law enforcement, using tents and makeshift structures to hide their illicit activities from public view.”
Expanding Beyond Free MacArthur Park’s Geographic Scale
The operation builds upon prior enforcement strategies deployed earlier this year. Hochman compared the geographical scale of the latest raids to the summer enforcement actions at Free MacArthur Park, noting that while Free MacArthur Park served almost like a test run, Skid Row covers a 50-block area.
“We are taking away generational players in Skid Row,” Hochman said, emphasizing that suppliers were a primary target and clarifying that the raids did not constitute an immigration enforcement operation.
Protecting Vulnerable Angelenos and Future Focus
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass emphasized the city's public safety goals during the multi-agency sweep. “It’s about getting criminals off the street who prey on vulnerable Angelenos, including those who are unhoused and struggling with addictions, who are experiencing mental health crises,” Bass said.
In total, law enforcement served 29 search warrants connected to the operation. Hochman reported that 14 of those warrants were executed within the city of Los Angeles, while 15 were served outside city limits across other areas of Los Angeles County, as well as Ventura and San Bernardino counties.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office detailed that the raids involved searching 20 residences—mostly situated outside of Skid Row—alongside several tents inside the neighborhood associated with retail drug distribution.
“We are very focused on not just having a one-dimensional, go out and take off street dealers; we’re trying to get street dealers, mid-level distributors, and then the source of those drugs as well,” McDonnell said.
