Feds Seize Fentanyl, Alligator in L.A. High-Rise
Feds Seize Fentanyl, Alligator in L.A. High-Rise
The News
Federal agents raided a 45th-floor apartment in downtown Los Angeles and arrested two residents on federal fentanyl distribution charges after finding 42.6 kilograms of fentanyl inside, authorities said.
The raid hit the Olympic + Hill building on Sept. 10. Investigators say the unit was a stash house for a Los Angeles-based fentanyl trafficking organization.
Agents also found a small alligator in the apartment. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service took possession of it.
What Was Seized
Along with the 42.6 kilograms of fentanyl pills and powder, agents reported taking 7.2 kilograms of cocaine, roughly one kilogram of heroin, and lab equipment. A gold-plated Desert Eagle .50-caliber pistol was sitting on the kitchen counter during the raid, and authorities said firearms were recovered at the scene.
Timeline
Federal agents raid the 45th-floor apartment at the Olympic + Hill building in downtown Los Angeles, seizing fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, lab equipment and firearms, and arresting two residents. A K-9 searching for hidden compartments has to be revived with Narcan after suspected fentanyl exposure.
Details of the raid become public, including the seizure of the small alligator, which is handed to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Reactions
Federal authorities say the apartment served as a stash house for a Los Angeles-based fentanyl trafficking organization with cartel ties, according to the Los Angeles Times.
TMZ, which confirmed the raid, described the two people taken into custody as a young couple living in the luxury complex.
Neither defendant has entered a plea, and no defense response has been reported.
What's Next
Arraignments for the two defendants are set for Oct. 2 and Oct. 9. Both face up to life in prison if convicted on the distribution charges.
Court filings so far leave open what cartel connection, if any, prosecutors will allege at trial.
More
The K-9 exposure underscores the hazard fentanyl poses to officers working seizures of this size: the dog was brought back with Narcan, the overdose-reversal drug, after searching the unit.
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