Federal authorities said they made more than a dozen arrests Thursday in what they hailed as a sweeping operation targeting drug trafficking in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles.

First Asst. U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli said in a post on X that federal authorities had executed 28 arrest warrants and 44 search warrants, part of what he dubbed “Operation Save Skid Row.” Essayli said the warrants were for “federal drug trafficking offenses involving fentanyl, PCP, and other narcotics in and around Skid Row.”

“Drug dealers prey on the homeless, keeping them addicted to horrific drugs and collecting their government assistance money in exchange. It’s all about making money. That ends today,” Essayli wrote.

Essayli described the raids as “a massive joint operation” that also involved the Los Angeles Police Department, with more than 300 law enforcement officers participating.

The operation reportedly resulted in seizures of cash, handguns and drugs, including fentanyl and cocaine. Authorities are expected to share more details at news conferences scheduled later in the day on Thursday.

Among those targeted by the arrest warrants were 28 individuals believed to be involved in dealing drugs on the streets of Skid Row, often from fake homeless tents and sometimes through surrogates, according to multiple law enforcement sources involved in the operation not authorized to discuss it. At least seven of those sought were still unaccounted for early Thursday morning, the sources said.

For decades, the LAPD, federal authorities and local prosecutors have targeted drug dealers and gangs controlling the territory, including the 5th and Hill gang. As the drug market has expanded, other gangs and their dealers have flooded the area, according to the law enforcement sources.

At least three helicopters were flying overhead downtown near Skid Row in the aftermath of the Thursday sweep. Streets were blocked off with yellow police line tape that read “do not cross.” LAPD squad cars were parked on the other side of that tape, as onlookers gathered to watch.

One of those targeted for arrest was Manuel Courtney Vaughns, a suspected Pasadena drug dealer with history of possession convictions and illegal firearms possession charges, according to law enforcement sources not authorized to speak publicly about the active investigation. Vaughns’ territory on Summit Avenue has long been associated with a Pasadena gang, the law enforcement sources said.

An armed federal SWAT team targeted one Pasadena home on Summit Avenue where Vaughns was thought to reside. Vaughns was detained and is expected to appear in court later Thursday.

On Skid Row, Jesse Allred, 73, a resident of Weingart Towers, stood at a nearby corner of 6th and Crocker streets, where police tape blocked off Crocker. He held an Arizona iced tea in one hand and his Rottweiler mix Lady in the other.

“We seen the FBI wearing their FBI uniforms and flak jackets,” he said. “Something crazy is going on.”

He said he parked nearby and saw “cops were just going everywhere.”

Allred said he’s lived in the drug-plagued area for 15 months since getting out of jail.

“I get out and people are smoking dope on the corner,” he said. “They’re shooting dope all over the place. The police are driving all over the place not even caring.”

Federal authorities had placed yellow crime scene tape and notices on several makeshift dwellings on Crocker Street declaring “this tent is subject to seizure and forfeiture for violations of the Federal Controlled Substances Act.” The notices ordered the owner’s property to be removed on or before Oct. 15, adding “remaining items are subject to abandonment, seizure and forfeiture.”

Victoriah Parker, with Los Angeles-based nonprofit Starts With One Today, said that Crocker Street was a known hotbed of illegal drug activity.

“There’s not a single tent on here that’s not a drug dealer,” she said. “Every single block is run by gangs and they’re taking advantage of individuals.

Parker said she arrived in the area at around 9:15 am on Thursday as police were blocking off the street.

“Everyone knows this is the main area for drug dealing,” she said, adding that dogs are also being sold and illegally bred.

“This is very dangerous, very very dangerous,” she said. “I hope that they keep it up, I hope that they come back and they don’t stop.”

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