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Gang Den Demolished

By EGP News Service


A house in northeast Los Angeles that functioned as the headquarters for a clique of the Avenues Gang for more than 20 years was demolished today at the behest of the city.

The property at 3304 Drew St. was used by gang members to sell drugs and engage in other illegal activities, according to the City Attorney’s Office.

A ‘for sale’ sign hangs on the gate of the house on Drew Street, after clean up, it will be a vacant lot. Authorities say they put a lien on the property for the price of demolition. (EGP Photo by Gloria Angelina Castillo)

A ‘for sale’ sign hangs on the gate of the house on Drew Street, after clean up, it will be a vacant lot. Authorities say they put a lien on the property for the price of demolition. (EGP Photo by Gloria Angelina Castillo)

Between 2002 and 2005, the Los Angeles police raided the place 14 times, seizing drugs and guns and resulting in 13 arrests.

“By the end of today, the Satellite House, which for years was the very symbol of the Avenues Gang here on Drew Street, will be reduced to a pile of rubble,” said City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo.

“`Make no mistake, we are committed to returning the Drew-Estara neighborhood to its law-abiding restaurants and reclaiming this neighborhood for the hard-working people who live here. And we are going to use every tool at our disposal to get the job done.”

In September 2005, the city filed a nuisance abatement lawsuit again the property’s owners Martin Mateos and Victor Sanchez, as well as Avenues gang member Nicolas Real.

A court evicted Real and ordered more than 50 gang members to stay away from the property. The City Attorney’s Office also filed nuisance abatement lawsuits against nine other property owners on Drew Street last year as part of a multi-agency investigation into the gang.

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February 5, 2009  Copyright © 2010 Eastern Group Publications, Inc.

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