Around $100 million worth of PCP was seized this week in Los Angeles and Culver City in what police described as a major bust of a national drug trafficking organization.
Police said they discovered huge amounts of PCP, totaling 10 million individual doses, which in the Los Angeles area sell for between $10 and $20 each, at two storage facilities and other locations. They also recovered about $400,000 in cash.
Police believe the drug trafficking organization included at least 10 individuals locally and that it was distributing to Texas, New York and Washington, D.C., and many other cities
Two suspects, Darryl Burton and Lagina Huckaby, were arrested at a UPS store in Culver City where they were trying to ship narcotics. Police had been trailing the them for about a month in response to a tip from the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Search warrants were issued for several locations where a drug ring was believed to be operating. In the sweep, they discovered about 130 gallons of phencyclidine, the chemical name for PCP, along with $389,000 in cash, two assault weapons and enough chemicals to produce 500 additional gallons of the narcotic.
The suspects are believed to be associated with the Bounty Hunter Bloods, a street gang active in Los Angeles. One of the suspects were described Burton as a major player in the drug trafficking organization.
The search warrants covered two residences in South Los Angeles as well as two large storage facilities. Police discovered cash and an active drug lab at the homes, and most of the PCP was found at the storage facilities.
Both suspects pleaded not guilty to the federal drug crime charges. They are being held in lieu of $3 million and $2 million bail. Burton, 55, has two convictions for
drug crimes, including one for possession of PCP. Police said the quantity of drugs seized indicates a largenetwork involved in the manufacturing and distribution of the PCP.
Whether you're currently under investigation for a drug crime or have already been arrested, it's critical to retain criminal defense representation from a skilled lawyer. California has some of the strictest drug laws in the nation, and prosecutors in your case will aggressively attempt to convict you. Therefore, it's important to find a Los Angeles drug crime lawyer who can provide you with equally aggressive defense representation.
Drug crime cases involve various criminal offenses related to controlled substances, naturally-occurring and manmade substances that are regulated and controlled by the state. This includes illegal street drugs such as cocaine,
heroin and
ecstasy as well as
prescription drugs such as Vicodin, Oxycontin and Xanax.
A person may face drug charges in Los Angeles if police gather enough evidence for the prosecuting attorney to move forward with a case involving the unlawful possession, distribution, sale, trafficking, importation, cultivation, manufacturing or
transportation of a controlled substance.
At the law office of Cron, Israels & Stark, our Los Angeles drug crime lawyers have a history of success defending clients against state or federal drug crime criminal charges. For a free case evaluation, just call our office at 888-895-3607.