Southern California authorities say that they have discovered a major drug trafficking operation that law enforcement claims may involve as many as 10 people locally, and allegedly has ties to illegal drug trafficking operations stretching across the county. Police claim to have seized more than 100 gallons of PCP during raids in Los Angeles and Culver City.

Although police claim that 10 people locally may be implicated in the PCP drug trafficking operation, news reports indicate the so far, only two people were arrested. A 55-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman were taken into custody at a UPS facility in Culver City last week. The male is being held on $3 million bail. The woman pled not guilty to drug charges last Friday and is in jail on $2 million bail.

Police claim that search warrants were served on four locations in Los Angeles. Police raided two South Los Angeles homes and also conducted drug raids on two storage facilities last week. Law enforcement claims that 100 gallons of PCP, $389,000 in cash, two semi-automatic weapons, and chemicals sufficient to produce roughly 500 gallons on new PCP were seized during the drug raids.

Media reports are not specific about where the individual items were seized; nor do reports suggest how any of the items or locations are allegedly tied together. Police seem to think the man arrested at the UPS store in Culver City may be tied to a street gang.

Obviously, more arrests can be expected in the alleged drug trafficking operation, as police say that they believe more Southern Californians are somehow tied to the purported drug trafficking operation. It is important to remember that, especially in high-profile cases such as major drug trafficking busts, law enforcement may look to implicate more people during an investigation. It is vitally important for anyone who believes that they may be targeted by a police investigation to seek legal counsel as soon as possible.

Source: Los Angeles Daily News, "Authorities: PCP bust is largest in recent memory," Feb. 18, 2012