Gang Sweep Results in 282 Arrests

Close to 300 people were arrested in a countywide sweep that targeted cross-border gangs over the weekend officials announced Monday.

The sweep, called "Operation Allied Shield”, covered two days and involved nearly 500 law enforcement personnel from several agencies targeting the gangs believed to be working with Mexican cartels.

Between 5 p.m. and 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday, officers checked in on known gang members and interviewed residents in communities asking about gang activity, according to San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore.

“These are intelligence driven operations with information connected by all law enforcement around the county,” Gore said.

Rick Barlow, Deputy Chief Agent with the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, vowed these types of sweeps will continue.

Criminal organizations, like the Mexican cartels, use gang members to make money by smuggling drugs and guns north across the border, according to Barlow.

“We’ve identified the different roles. Now we’ve identified the different players, and we’re going to work to disrupt the organization by working to attack those components of the organization,” he said.

However, of the 282 taken into custody, only 32 were documented gang members according to our media partners the North County Times.

Officials said they were still sifting through the information and could not provide specific information, such as the names of those arrested or the charges filed against them, the paper reported.

Even so, the sheriff touted the operation as a success noting that there was less reported gang activity along the border over the weekend.

Money for the operation came a federal grant through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
 

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