2 accused of running drug operation out of RV parked near homeless encampment

Los Angeles police officers arrested two men who they say were selling drugs out of a recreational vehicle parked next to a homeless encampment in San Pedro.

On Jan. 31, Los Angeles Police Department officers served a search warrant in Hollywood, which later led them to an RV parked on the 900 block of South Beacon Avenue — an area “well-known” for drug-related crimes, police said.

Police say the RV wasn’t actually home to any unhoused individuals; rather, the two men used it with the sole purpose of “of engaging in narcotics sales and consumption.”

A search warrant was issued for the vehicle, which led to the recovery of 439 gross grams of powder cocaine, 29 gross grams of cocaine base, an unregistered handgun and $147,987 in cash.

Cocaine base, according to the United States Department of Justice, is cocaine hydrochloride that has been “reverse-engineered back to a chemical base state, thereby rendering it smokeable.”

Police arrested two Los Angeles men for their alleged connection to the RV and the illegal narcotics operation.

They’ve been identified as Tony Walden, 55, and Marlon Price, 56.

Both were booked into jail and later released with a future court date set for Feb. 26, jail records show. They each face various drug charges related to the recovered narcotics.

The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is urged to contact the LAPD Rampart Area Narcotics Enforcement Detail at 213-484-3674. Anonymous tips can be made online or by calling 1-800-222-8477.