Hollywood gang spreading heroin in Glendale, La Crescenta, police chief says

Authorities say they are growing increasingly concerned over heroin use in the La Crescenta and northern Glendale areas.

A Hollywood-based gang has played a major role in supplying heroin to the area, Glendale Police Chief Ron De Pompa told the News-Press.

Gang members have allegedly given free samples of heroin to teens and taught them to smoke the drug to increase their client base, he said.

All drug-related offenses in January investigated by Glendale police in the Crescenta Valley were attributed to heroin, an increasingly popular opiate among youth in the region, De Pompa said.

Heroin use has been escalating in the Crescenta Valley in the last five years as more high school students and young adults have become hooked, he said during a presentation to the City Council on drug use in northern Glendale.

“For years and years, La Crescenta seemed to be untouched by a lot of the big-city ailments that we started experiencing in the rest of the community, and we are starting to see a change in that now,” he said.

Read the full story here.

-- Veronica Rocha, News-Press

Photo: Glendale Police Chief Ron De Pompa. Credit: city of Glendale

Comments

[kooo]

Sounds like a lot more home burglaries, auto thefts and other robberies would be increasing as these newly addicted attempt to continue their habit in this poor economy... that heroin is most likely from Mexico. A direct effect of the ongoing war on drugs with the Mexican cartels.

[Mike (Granada Hills)]

We need to execute these people that bring this drug into our country.

Secondly, we know where these fields are in Mexico and we should use a scorched earth policy there and in Afghanistan.

Tell me why this is so difficult for us to do?

[Justice]

WHICH GANG? Follow through with your reporting skills and state the facts.

[armo mia]

dear kooo,

sounds like an armenian thing to me. probably trafficking the stuff from afghanistan.

[Rafael Noble]

While the Los Angeles City and L.A. County District Attorneys spend precious resources on bagging legal medical marijuana dispensaries, according to the article, "All drug-related offenses in January investigated by Glendale police in the Crescenta Valley were attributed to heroin". Our local law enforcement efforts should be focused on preventing the proliferation of Mexican Black Tar heroin before it destroys communities here the way it has in the midwest. Our city and county attorneys need to take the blinders off and start concentrating on real threats like this!

[Anna]

More hardworking "undocumented" workers...

[Dan]

I hear the dope heads now, let's legalize heroin too so the crime rate will go down, yea right.

[clintorris]

Wait until they get amnesty and they will. Third world here we come.

[cachimbon]

can the times find out the name of the gang in hollywood so that way the community can staay informed. do just asume it is a gang and not a few indiviuals setting up shop.

[MadPuss]

They better get this under control and fast. Heroin is so addictive and quickly. Dealers bait kids so easily this way by giving it them to smoke for free. Dealers have gotten people hooked this way for years. Then they start to charge them and somehow they're taught how to shoot it up. This is the worst drug. Please everyone, this is the drug to say NO to. Teach your kids all about this horrible life wreaking drug.

[acc]

and the seed is planted...both of them.

[Zartan Lesbyanian]

Why not mention the name of the gang? Are the armenians going to sue?

[Is There a Journalist in the House?]

The gang is not named, nor is any description given of their members to aid efforts to stop them.

Assuming they are not of E Asian or European descent is a safe bet, given PC LA Times policies.

[unavailable]

I accually happen to live in the area and there is heroin use in the area however it is very little. There are more marijuana users, that "hard drug" users such as heroin methamphetamines ect. Also the gang conections are false as well, there are no gangs in this area