KVOA

Posted: Feb 9, 2010 6:46 PM
Updated: Feb 9, 2010 7:02 PM

CORPUS CHRISTI -- The Corpus Christi Police Department's SWAT team was up early this morning to arrest a known drug dealer.

Police say the raid took $5,000 worth of illegal drugs off the streets.

It happened around 6:30 a.m. in the 1900 block of Van Loan.

Police say tips from people in the community led them to the three and a half ounces of crack cocaine, marijuana, cash and a pistol.

After weeks of collecting evidence and staking out the home police arrested 37 year old Darrell Chambers and charged him with possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana and a felon in possession of a weapon.

Captain John Houston said, "Hopefully it will put a stop to the open drug market that was in the 1900 block of Van Loan and if they move somewhere else we'll go after them there too."

We talked to a woman who's lived in the neighborhood for 20 years and she says it's pretty quite there, but she does notice a lot of traffic going in and out of the home at 1906.

Lupe Garza says she's still shocked after seeing all the police covering the home early Tuesday morning.

She lives right across the street from the man accused of selling drugs.

Garza said, "I thought we had a car wreck or something it sounded like an explosion and then when I tried to open the door, the police said don't come out and I said what happened."

Garza says she's glad another criminal is behind bars.

However, a man, who claimed to be a friend of Chambers', says he was just trying to make ends meet.

Walter Williams said, "That's my friend, I don't want to see him go to jail, but everybody has got to do what they got to do to live."

Williams says he grew up in this neighborhood and drugs are everywhere.

He believes it won't be long before police catch on to all the other drug dealers also living here.

Williams said, "They're going to get all these houses it's just a matter of time, it's just a matter of time."

The SWAT team also raided a home in the 700 block of King Street.

They confiscated a stolen weapon and brass knuckles, but no drugs were found.

There were several men and women inside along with five young children, but no arrests were made.

Police are still investigating these cases.