Beverly Hills Residents Possible Targets of Alleged Pot Ring Leaders

The alleged leaders of a drug ring accused of using arson and attempted homicide to edge out the competition may have had Beverly Hills residents among their targets.

Beverly Hills Lieutenant Lincoln Hoshino of the BHPD told Patch on Wednesday afternoon that Beverly Hills residents, landlords and dispensary owners were the victims of alleged "intimidation, arson and death threats."

As previously reported, four men now in custody are at the center of a multi-agency investigation into a drug ring accused of attempting to edge out competition using arson and attempted homicide.

Among the alleged crimes perpetrated by the drug ring, Hoshino said, were arsons to both a motor vehicle and a residence. The suspects have also been accused of attempted murder.

Asked by what means the suspects attempted to make their kill, Hoshino responded that they "tried to burn someone up."

As previously reported, Andrew Kramer, 38, Rene Johnson, 50, and Jonathan Livingston, 43, were arrested on 46 felony counts Tuesday, following a law enforcement raid of four Los Angeles-area dispensaries, including the Zen Healing Collective and Alternative Herbal Health Services in West Hollywood.

Dispensaries in Marina Del Ray and Santa Monica were also searched during Tuesday's raid, which was executed by the Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and Los Angeles police departments, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S Secret Service.

"Over the course of this investigation, detectives have seized millions in cash and proceeds from this criminal enterprise," Hoshino said.