23 Arrested in Drug Crackdown on Los Angeles’s Skid Row

Federal and local law enforcement arrested 23 people on federal drug-related charges Oct. 8 after conducting a massive operation targeting illegal drug trafficking operations in downtown Los Angeles’s Skid Row area.

Skid Row, filled with tents and street camping sites for about 5,000 transients, is notorious for poverty, homelessness, and drug use.

“The drug dealers are very sophisticated,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said at a news conference Thursday. “They know when the homeless get their pubic assistance benefit payments. They’re there like clockwork.”

Narcotics sold and used in the Skid Row area include fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and PCP, a mind-altering hallucinogen.

“PCP is particularly troubling,” Essayli said. “It explains a lot of the psychotic episodes you see the homeless people experiencing on the street.”

The operation was similar to one carried out in May by the Homeland Security Task Force at MacArthur Park in Los Angeles.

Over 300 law enforcement officers participated in the operation Thursday from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), FBI, Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), IRS, and the U.S. Marshals.

Law enforcement served 44 search warrants and searched 20 homes, most of which were outside Skid Row, prosecutors said. Several tents associated with drug dealing were also searched.

Authorities seized firearms and drugs, including suspected methamphetamine, cocaine, cocaine base, and pills. Some cash and luxury vehicles were also seized, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Among those arrested were Rodney Thomas, 55, of Los Angeles; Charles McIntyre, 65, of Los Angeles; Dwayne Richards, 62, of Los Angeles; Manuel Vaughns, 52, of West Covina; Larry Pitre, 70, of Studio City; Lionel Nelson, 57, of Watts; Tyzarioun Grimsley, 28, of Los Angeles; Eric Goring, 38, of Los Angeles; and Michael Taylor, 39, of Los Angeles.

“It would be simple to overlook the crimes of Skid Row and act as if it doesn’t matter … confined to a small area and confined to vulnerable populations,” said Patrick Grandy, assistant director of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “Make no mistake about this operation, these narcotics traffickers are the single largest driver of violent crime in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles.”

According to federal prosecutors, Skid Row drug dealers occupy territory and protect their claim through violence. They use hand-to-hand transactions in parks and deal small amounts to the homeless population.

U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche called the operation a success.

“The Department of Justice continues to crush the illegal drug trade and save countless lives in Los Angeles communities,” Blanche said on X.