SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A long-running investigation into an open air drug market in San Diego where crack cocaine was allegedly being sold has resulted in federal charges against 30 defendants, with all but two of them arrested Wednesday.
Investigators using hidden cameras surveilled the alleged gang-controlled market operating in the 2900 block of Imperial Avenue for more than a year and captured daily drug sales, according to officials with the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The market is believed to have sold an estimated 20 pounds of cocaine weekly, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Along with customers purchasing crack cocaine on Imperial Avenue, low-level dealers also redistributed the drugs in various other areas of the city, such as East Village, Logan Heights, and Sherman Heights.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said the market also attracted violent activity, such as a shooting that left at least two struck by gunfire earlier this year.
"Today's indictments are about more than enforcing the law. They're about reclaiming public streets for the people who actually live there," U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California, Adam Gordon, said during a news conference on Wednesday.
The 28 arrests made Wednesday morning were part of a coordinated operation conducted by federal, state, and local law enforcement officials, who also seized drugs, cash, and guns throughout the investigation.
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