Fire Inspection of House Nets Cyanide, PCP

A 30-gallon drum of cyanide and eight gallons of PCP with an estimated street value of $1.2 million were found in a South-Central Los Angeles house Thursday after fire inspectors went there to check out reports that the cluttered backyard was a fire hazard, police said.

Sgt. Tom Runyen of 77th Street Police Division said that Fire Department personnel discovered the cyanide drum in the yard outside the house in the 300 block of West 82nd Street. It allegedly contained 100 pounds of the deadly chemical. They also found containers of substances used in the manufacture of PCP.

Broke Into House

Officers obtained a warrant by telephone and used iron crowbars and sledge hammers to break into what Runyen said was a “barricaded” house whose doors and windows were barred. No one was reported in the house at the time, but officers said they discovered the PCP in an attic area that appeared to have been used as a laboratory for manufacturing the drug.

A dozen neighbors were evacuated because of possible danger from toxic fumes while hazardous materials, narcotics and scientific investigation specialists checked the interior of the house.