Federal agents call California Democrats 'lunatics' after Skid Row drug bust nets 28 dealers and seizes guns and cash

From the Newshound archive · first published 9 October 2026.

First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli branded California Democrat politicians 'lunatics' and accused them of weakening criminal justice laws in ways that have eroded deterrence. Thursday's Operation Save Skid Row — a joint FBI, DEA and LAPD action — swept up 28 meth, fentanyl, cocaine and PCP dealers across the notorious 50-block encampment. Among the items seized were drugs, firearms, luxury vehicles and cash; dealers had been operating out of homeless tents and storefronts as cover.