A massive drug bust on Skid Row has sparked a war of words between a Los Angeles City Council member and the city’s top federal prosecutor.
Dozens of FBI agents and cops descended on the notorious downtown neighborhood Thursday as part of a sweeping crackdown on the sale of fentanyl, meth, cocaine and PCP.
The California Post was on the scene as investigators seized drugs, guns, cash and luxury cars, making dozens of arrests in a probe that exposed the alleged tricks dealers used to hide their deadly trade — including disguises, storefronts and sidewalk tents.
But Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, whose District 14 includes Skid Row, blasted the operation, claiming homeless residents were prevented from returning to their tents to retrieve their belongings, medication and other necessities.
“Law enforcement has described the operation in Skid Row as targeting drug trafficking. But that doesn’t remove the responsibility to protect residents’ rights and well-being,” Jurado wrote on social media.
“Residents have reported being kept from returning to their tents, obtaining their belongings, accessing essential medication, and reaching the services they depend on every day to survive.”
Jurado argued that Skid Row is home to one of the city’s largest populations of “seniors, people with disabilities, and Black residents,” and said its residents deserve the same treatment as people in any other Los Angeles neighborhood.
“But we’ve continued to treat it as the afterthought of our policies,” the councilmember wrote. “Living in a neighborhood that society wrote off does not make you a criminal.”
“It does not make you unworthy of city services, mental health, and representation from your government.”
The councilmember also said Skid Row’s homeless residents deserve “protection from exploitation and violence” and “dignity and accountability from the institutions responsible for their safety.”
The 50-block area is home to roughly 6,000 homeless people and has long been plagued by open-air drug dealing and violence.
Dubbed “Operation Free Skid Row,” Thursday’s crackdown involved multiple agencies, including the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and Los Angeles Police Department. Authorities said 28 alleged dealers were charged with federal drug offenses, while agents served more than 40 search warrants.
But US Attorney Bill Essayli, the region’s top federal prosecutor, wasn’t having Jurado’s criticism.
Essayli accused the councilmember and the nonprofit Los Angeles Community Action Network (LACAN) of contributing to the neighborhood’s problems by opposing law enforcement efforts.
“They are fiercely anti-law enforcement and focus their efforts on protecting criminals who exploit the homeless. Under their watch, gangs and thugs run Skid Row, supplying the worst drugs imaginable, stealing money, and raping or killing anyone in their way,” Essayli wrote Friday.
“Rather than working with LAPD to arrest drug dealers, LACAN advocates handing out millions of dollars’ worth of needles and crack pipes while harassing officers.”
Essayli defended the operation, saying investigators had obtained judicial authorization for the searches and carried out the crackdown professionally.
“We are proud of yesterday’s operation that charged 28 people with federal drug dealing and served more than 40 search warrants (all done professionally with judicial authorization). If the councilwoman disliked yesterday’s actions, she will be very displeased in the months ahead,” Essayli added.
