Police Pose as Drug Dealers, Arrest 56 in Pomona ‘Sting’

POMONA — Posing as drug dealers, Pomona police officers arrested 56 alleged buyers of “crack” cocaine last month in an unusual undercover scheme aimed at stripping sellers of their clientele, authorities announced Tuesday.

The “reverse sting” operation, which police said is only the second of its kind to be used in Los Angeles County, was conducted over three days in a northeast Pomona neighborhood targeted by police as a hot spot for drug trafficking.

“As long as there are buyers, there will be sellers,” Police Chief Richard M. Tefank said. “We wanted to put out a message to the buyers that they might want to think twice before they make a purchase.”

Because law enforcement agencies have traditionally focused on dealers as the source of drug problems, “buyers have been somewhat immune from arrest and prosecution,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Michael Tranbarger, who helped Pomona police coordinate the operation.

Sold to Motorists

“This puts them on notice that if they’re going to buy dope in Los Angeles County, they’re going to have to worry about criminal prosecution just like the sellers do,” he said.

Using cocaine supplied by the district attorney’s office, police made the arrests after selling $20 “rocks,” or about a quarter of a gram, to passing motorists. The suspects, booked on suspicion of possessing cocaine, ranged in age from 16 to 50, police said. The felony charge carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

A similar crackdown on buyers was first tried by Inglewood police during undercover operations in March and May that resulted in 84 arrests, said Al Albergate, public information officer for the district attorney’s office. Of those, 78 criminal cases were filed.

Charges against 44 of the suspects were dropped on the condition that they enter drug diversion programs, Albergate said. Twenty-six cases are pending. Two pleaded guilty. And bench warrants were issued for six suspects after they failed to appear in court.

“It’s not so much a body count we’re after,” said Tranbarger, adding that news of the crackdowns is intended to deter would-be drug buyers. “In the long run, we’re really hoping to go out some night and not get anybody.”

Before the Pomona operation, which was conducted from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. on June 12, 26 and 27, officers videotaped drug dealing activity at two local hot spots.

No Solicitation

After driving a police car through the area to scare away dealers, undercover officers equipped with hidden microphones positioned themselves at several intersections. When would-be buyers drove their cars up to the curb, said police Lt. Ernie Allsup, “we would just say, ‘Hi. What’s up?’ And they would order what they wanted.”

“Our activity was consistent with what was happening at the location,” Allsup said. “We didn’t have large signs that said ‘Cocaine for Sale’ or try to bring someone in who wasn’t interested in buying cocaine.”

After the drugs and money exchanged hands, an unmarked police car trailed the buyer for several blocks and officers then made the arrest. The suspects reflected an ethnic and racial mix, Allsup said.

“It’s just another step in our war on drugs, so to speak,” he said. “It’s a never-ending struggle. We just really wanted to get the word out that they don’t know who they’re buying drugs from now.”