Local News in Brief : 5 Arrested in Narcotics Probe; Cocaine, Guns, Cash, Car Seized

Two weeks of surveillance by Los Angeles police ended Thursday in the arrest of five people in Woodland Hills and Northridge and the seizure of two kilograms of cocaine, 28 firearms, more than $90,000 in cash and a new Rolls-Royce, police said.

Arrested on suspicion of possessing or selling drugs were Carelton Edgar Baylis, 33, and his wife, Fariba, 35, of Woodland Hills; Victor David Uebe, 41, of Northridge; Steven Mark Levitt, 34, of Agoura Hills and Carol Kohl, 39, of Canoga Park.

In an investigation that began with an anonymous tip, detectives said, they watched Wednesday as Baylis bought several ounces of cocaine from Uebe, then resold the drugs to Levitt in front of the Baylises’ Woodland Hills home, narcotics police Lt. J. R. Schiller said.

After Levitt left, police arrested him and confiscated four ounces of “virtually pure” cocaine, Schiller said. Police then obtained search warrants for the Baylis home and Uebe’s house in Northridge.

At the Baylises’ Mulholland Drive home, police said, they confiscated a Thompson .45-caliber submachine gun and an Uzi semi-automatic weapon with 19 other firearms, $90,566 in cash and a new Corniche model Rolls-Royce valued at $150,000. Neighbors were briefly evacuated as a precaution after police also found parts for two pipe bombs in the house, Schiller said.

Baylis, his wife and Kohl, who allegedly had small amounts of marijuana and cocaine in her purse, were arrested at the Baylis home at the time of search.

A search of Uebe’s home yielded seven firearms and 4.5 pounds of cocaine valued at $791,662, Schiller added. Uebe was taken into custody during the search of his house.