Police searched six houses Monday within a stone's throw of one another on Avenue D. Altogether they made three arrests and seized 60 "decks," or individual doses, of heroin, two handguns, 25 grams of marijuana and $3,200 in cash, said Police Chief David Moore.
Officers also seized five pit bulls suspected of being used as guard dogs.
"It's amazing to me that within one block, you can have six homes with people involved in narcotics," Moore said, standing in front of one of the raided locations.
Police did not release the names of the people arrested, who are facing drug and weapon charges.
The raids were done simultaneously shortly after noon Monday by members of the Police Department's patrol and tactical units and emergency task force, as well as state police.
People were found in some of the houses. The others were vacant, but police found evidence of drug sales, Moore said.
The addresses were 763, 768, 777, 781, 790 and 808 Avenue D, all between Joseph and Hudson avenues and just east of Bauman Street.
Police have searched at least some of those locations before for drugs, said Commander Mark Case. Gunfire also has occurred in at least some of the houses, Case said, but he could not recall people being shot.
The neighborhood long has been one of the most crime-ridden in Rochester, although Moore noted that many law-abiding citizens also live there.
Police had staked out the houses for several weeks and stopped people who were leaving them to gather the information necessary to obtain search warrants, Moore said. They used those warrants for Monday's sweeps.
Residents of the area have complained frequently that they give the Police Department information about possible drug houses but police do nothing. The raids Monday, Moore said, show residents that police will take action.
"What many people don't understand is that we have to have probable cause to go in and search, and that takes some time," he said.
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