Hundreds Are Arrested in Antigang Crackdown

By SOLOMON MOORE
Published: October 1, 2008

A four-month nationwide crackdown on gangs has brought the arrest of 1,759 people — gang members and their associates, other criminals and immigration violators — from more than 20 countries, the federal authorities announced Wednesday.

Dozens of state and local law enforcement agencies joined federal officers in raids carried out in 28 states, including New York and New Jersey, focusing on gang hubs like Los Angeles, Miami and Boston.

The annual crackdown, which ended Wednesday, is another sign of the increasing prevalence of gangs with a presence in more than one country, and of the high degree of law enforcement cooperation required to counter them.

“We now have over 890 gangs in the United States that we’ve been able to target,â€