By Robert D. Davila
bdavila@sacbee.com
A team of state and local law enforcement officers fanned out today to arrest as many as 34 gang members in Yuba, Sutter and Sacramento counties in a major bust led by the state Department of Justice.
The suspects were named in arrest warrants being served on validated members of the Norteño and Sureño gangs, said Michelle Gregory of the department's Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement and Gang Suppression Team. The warrants charge suspects with homicide, drug possession, drug trafficking and other crimes. (Photo at left is of weapons and ammuniiton seized in the raid. Photo is courtesy of the State DOJ.)
The crackdown followed a series of homicides and retaliatory attacks by the rival gangs that escalated following the killing in the Yuba City area in January, Gregory said. Since then, law enforcement officials discovered gang members were gaining a foothold in Sutter and Yuba counties to distribute methamphetamine from Mexico, she said.
"They're trying to embed themselves in these communities and bring in the drugs and weapons," Gregory said. "We're out here to make sure they don't do that."
Most of those arrested today belonged to the Norteño gang, Gregory said. Participating law enforcement agencies included local police, sheriff's departments and state agencies.
Call The Bee's Robert D. Davila, (916) 321-1077.
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