Police have arrested five people in connection with the sale and distribution of “spice,” part of a crackdown on the synthetic drug that has been linked to several overdoses among homeless people in skid row, authorities said Thursday.

The five people were arrested Wednesday afternoon near 5th and San Pedro streets after narcotics investigators found they had spice, according to a statement from the Los Angeles Police Department.

Officer Rosario Herrera, an LAPD spokeswoman, said police were not yet releasing the names of the five people.

After the arrests, investigators raided a South L.A. building that was believed to be the manufacturing site of the spice before it hit skid row, police said.


There, police found cash, controlled substances and chemical ingredients used in the process of manufacturing spice.

Spice, also known as K2, is a synthetic cannabinoid -- called that because it affects the same brain receptors as tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.

Typically sold as fake weed, it can have powerful effects including hallucinations, seizures and heart attacks, according to Dr. Gary Tsai, medical director and science officer for the L.A. County Department of Public Health’s Office of Substance Abuse Prevention and Control.

The drug has been linked to a spate of mass overdoses among homeless people in Los Angeles.


On Aug. 19, 38 people were transported to the hospital, many suspected of ingesting the drug. Days later, 14 people were sent to the hospital, their symptoms also thought to be linked to spice.

And in April, 15 people were hospitalized after consuming a tainted form of spice, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said at the time.

The April incident led to the arrest of a skid row drug kingpin at his Cerritos home along with 15 others as part of an early-morning sweep targeting downtown’s infamous drug market. The alleged kingpin, Derrick Turner, was taken into custody while wearing his pajamas.

Turner, an Athens Blood gang member, was charged with three felonies including possession of narcotics for sale, receiving the proceeds of drug sales and conspiracy, police said.


Times staff writers Richard Winton and Soumya Karlamangla contributed to this report.

matt.hamilton@latimes.com

Twitter: @MattHjourno.

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