16 L.A. Cocaine Dealers Seized

Sixteen “major cocaine dealers” have been arrested and 143.2 pounds of the drug with a street value of more than $30 million have been seized as the result of a three-month investigation by local and state narcotics officers, Culver City police announced today.

Culver City police Lt. Bill Burke said suspects believed involved in “a Miami-based cocaine distribution ring with direct ties to Bogota, Colombia,” were kept under surveillance by undercover officers from his department, the Beverly Hills Police Department and the state Department of Justice’s Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement. Burke said the arrests of the dealers, who are believed to have been operating throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties, will have a significant impact on the availability of cocaine in this area.