Thread: Sweep targets gangs; 25 held in Iowa

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Sweep targets gangs; 25 held in Iowa
Nationwide, nearly 600 people are arrested. Some face weapons, fraud or immigration charges.
By TOM ALEX
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
August 2, 2005

At least 25 alleged gang members thought to be in Iowa illegally are among nearly 600 suspects picked up in a nationwide sweep, federal authorities said Monday.

Most of the Iowa suspects were arrested in the Marshalltown and Des Moines areas over the past two weeks as part of "Operation Community Shield."

Others were picked up in the Quad Cities and Sioux City. They are believed to be members of the Mara Salvatrucha 13, Surenos 13, Brown Pride Clique and La Raza Loca gangs, immigration authorities said.

The initial target of the operation was the Mara Salvatrucha 13, described as one of the largest and most violent street gangs in the country. Eight suspected members were arrested in Des Moines. All will be held without bond.

Mexican drug traffickers have pushed aside their Colombian counterparts and now dominate the U.S. market in the biggest reorganization of the trade since the rise of the Colombian cartels in the 1980s, U.S. officials say. The Mexican groups now are behind much of the cocaine, heroin, marijuana and methamphetamine on U.S. streets, the officials say.

Marshalltown's Lon Walker was one of five police chiefs who joined homeland security officials at a news conference in Washington, D.C., to announce the arrests.

"I mentioned the problems we were having in a conversation with Senator (Charles) Grassley a couple of years ago," Walker said. "We started working on this project several months ago."

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with the help of Marshalltown police, rounded up eight suspects. Ten others were found in the Des Moines area. Six were arrested in the Quad Cities, and one was taken into custody in Sioux City.

Authorities targeted more than 54 street gangs, which "have grown and expanded their influence to an alarming level, marked by increased violence and criminal activity," U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said in a news release. "These gangs pose a severe threat to public safety, and this growth must not go unchallenged."

Seventy-six of the 582 alleged gang members and associates were charged with criminal violations that included illegal re-entry after deportation, firearms violations and document fraud.

Eleven gang leaders are believed to be among those taken into custody nationally.

Estela Biesemeyer, agent in charge of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Des Moines, said the arrests are "just the beginning of our focus on gangs."

"We will continue to identify, arrest and deport people who bring harm to our communities," she said.

Among gang-related arrests in Iowa:

• Cristobal Sierra-Hernandez, 19, of Mexico, arrested at his Des Moines home July 21. Officials say he a member of the Mara Salvatrucha 13 street gang and has prior convictions for burglary and assault. He is being held without bond pending deportation.

• Luis Quintanilla, 20, of El Salvador, arrested in Boone County for a probation violation. An alleged member of the Mara Salvatrucha 13 gang, he has prior convictions for burglary and domestic assault. He will be sent to El Salvador after completion of his prison term.

• Benjamin Melendez, 19, of El Salvador, arrested in Des Moines for a probation violation. An alleged member of the Mara Salvatrucha 13 gang, he has a prior conviction for assault with a dangerous weapon, police said. He is being held without bond pending deportation.

• Arturo Toga-Garcia, 21, of Mexico, arrested in Pleasant Hill on July 22. An alleged member of the La Raza Loca street gang, he has two prior convictions for burglary and will be held without bond pending deportation.

• Manuel Mares-Flores, 18; Victor Fernandez-Escalera, 25; and Manuel Vasquez-Lopez, 20, all of Mexico, arrested at the Marshall County probation office July 19. Alleged members of the Surenos 13 street gang, they had prior convictions and will be held without bond pending deportation.

• Marco Medina-Reyes, 19, of Mexico, arrested at his Marshalltown residence July 19. An alleged member of the Los Angeles MKAF street gang, he has prior convictions for robbery, theft and weapons. He will be held without bond pending deportation.

• Two other alleged members of the Surenos 13 street gang and two alleged members of the BPC street gang also were apprehended. They are being held without bond pending their removal to Mexico.

Note: Tim Counts, a spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said names of those arrested on administrative or civil violations were not made public.

Oh no! Please tell me these misguided, misunderstood, illegal alien gang members will be alright. Maybe the catholic church could step in and say a few words for these geographically displaced people.

Originally Posted by butterbean

Oh no! Please tell me these misguided, misunderstood, illegal alien gang members will be alright. Maybe the catholic church could step in and say a few words for these geographically displaced people.

Geographically displaced? You're really on a roll today! That's hilarious! :P

Add to that "by choice, not by chance!"