Operation Moves Before Dawn
Federal agents and LAPD officers raided Skid Row before dawn Thursday in an operation aimed at alleged dealers supplying fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and PCP. Authorities referred to it as Operation Skid Row, while a DEA post called it Operation Save Skid Row. The targets were more than two dozen suspected street dealers and suppliers, identified after a three-month investigation. Investigators said they used phone taps, undercover officers, and drones to build the cases. Dozens of warrants were served. One social-media post cited 44 search warrants, a reminder that even a street raid arrives with a mountain of paperwork.
A 100-Vehicle Blockade
By morning, authorities said 28 people had been arrested. Roughly 100 law-enforcement vehicles cordoned off blocks and parks around Fifth and Crocker streets, trapping dealers who allegedly worked the sidewalks. An FBI post credited the FBI, DEA, IRS, ATF, LAPD, U.S. Marshals, and other partners in the Homeland Security Task Force and High Intensity Drug Trafficking Initiative with the effort. Officials said the warrants targeted dealers, not homeless residents, and that multiple gang members were among those facing charges. The message was not subtle, which may explain the convoy.
The Alleged Sales Network
Investigators described a business model less obvious than an open-air corner. Some alleged sellers used a Mercedes. Others posed as homeless men in tents that investigators said were drug dens. Still others allegedly operated from storefronts or claimed to be social workers and homeless-services providers. Drugs were also reportedly hidden in single-room-occupancy units and low-income housing. Authorities said agents seized narcotics, guns, and luxury cars. One post reported cash, firearms, and fentanyl, while another showed a gun being pulled from a tent. A post also alleged dealers targeted people when government checks arrived, a claim presented as an accusation rather than a proven finding.
Raids Reached Beyond the Encampments
The sweep reportedly began at the homes of alleged distributors before moving to Skid Row. In Pasadena, an FBI convoy went to the Summit Avenue home of alleged cocaine dealer Manuel Vaughns. The New York Post reported that agents used flash-bang grenades before ordering him outside. Other reported suspects included Rodney Thomas, 55, known as Jamaica; Charles McIntyre, 65; Dwayne Richards, 62; Larry Pitre, 70, known as Kat Daddy; Malcolm Dehughes, 32; Lionel Nelson, 57, known as Popeye; Irigia Bowman, 58; and Kevin Fountain, 38. These are allegations tied to the raid, not convictions.
A Gun Recovered From a Tent
Skid Row spans roughly 50 blocks of downtown Los Angeles, according to the Post, with warehouses, cheap restaurants, and sidewalk encampments. The report said as many as 6,000 homeless people live on the street or in shelters. Officials stressed that homeless people were not the target of the warrants. The stated focus was an alleged drug network operating around tents, storefronts, single-room-occupancy units, and low-income housing. A video post showing a gun removed from a tent offered a stark snapshot of the operation’s stated concerns.
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