Federal, Local Agents Take Down Gang in Fresno County, California
Federal and local law enforcement joined together in California to arrest members of a violent criminal street gang operating in Fresno County in California’s Central Valley.
In total, 34 suspects were arrested in Operation Broken Bonds. Ten of the suspects were arrested on federal charges including racketeering, drug trafficking, violent crimes, and firearms offenses.
The gang members are implicated in a host of crimes including murder, conspiracy to commit murder, drugs and gun crimes, witness intimidation, and threatening law enforcement.
The operation took place on May 25, 2023, and targeted the Varrio Colonia Parlier Nortenos criminal street gang, which is blamed for an increase in violence including homicides and illegal weapons in and around Fresno, particularly in the cities of Reedley and Parlier.
Seized in the operation were 64 guns including ghost guns and AR-style rifles, illicit drugs including fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine, and over $26,000. Officials say the investigation also prevented a mass shooting and at least three other crimes.
“This operation sends a strong message that criminal activity targeting our communities and threatening public servants protecting Californians will not be tolerated,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
Officials Laud Law Enforcement Cooperation
The investigation into the gang was launched in July 2021.
It was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a Department of Justice (DOJ) program that gathers together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence.
It was also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF is an independent component of DOJ and works to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of California, as well as state and local officials participated.
“(Law enforcement) have been pulling together for two missions: Get justice for families that lost their loved ones, and stop the violence caused by this vicious street gang,” said Fresno County Senior Deputy District Attorney Robert Veneman-Hughes.