Thread: California sweep nets 41 suspected gang members

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nort ... 0gang.html

Sweep nets 41 suspected gang members


By Angelica Martinez
UNION-TRIBUNE BREAKING NEWS TEAM

12:19 p.m. March 10, 2006

OCEANSIDE – Police and federal investigators arrested 41 suspected gang members with ties to violent street gangs in three North County cities during a weeklong sweep, officials announced Friday.
The arrests were made from Feb. 24 to March 2 in Escondido, Oceanside and San Marcos as part of Operation Community Shield, a nationwide anti-gang initiative targeting foreign gang members.

Most of the people arrested in the sweep have criminal records, said Serge Duarte, acting special agent in charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Those arrested included seven juveniles and an 18-year-old man with two prior convictions for battery causing serious bodily injury, U.S. immigration officials said.

All of those arrested were in the country illegally and were born in Guatemala and Mexico. They are suspected of contributing to gang activity, including violent crimes and the sales of narcotics, Duarte said.

They face formal immigration proceedings.

“This gives us immediate relief to get them off the streets,” Duarte said. “If they enter illegally again, they can face gang violations and criminal sanctions.”

Authorities launched the operation more than a year ago after immigration officials determined that the predominantly Salvadoran gang, Mara Salvatrucha or MS-13, was one of the most violent street gangs operating in the United States.

Officials found that most of the gang members identified were foreigners with criminal convictions or involved in crimes.

Since the operation started in February 2005, authorities have arrested 2,300 suspected gang members in the United States.

In San Diego, 251 people have been arrested in the past year. None of the gang members arrested have ties to the Salvadoran gang, Duarte said.

The 41 arrests made in San Diego were the second highest in the country during the most recent sweep, he said. Law enforcement officers in Dallas made the most arrests – 44.



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Angelica Martinez: (619) 293-1317; angelica.martinez@uniontrib.com

Our local news reported on this arest... and gave it a whole 20 seconds worth of coverage, WOW! At the end of they report they briefly mentioned that these scumbags were in the country illegally.