Massive Sting Operation Targets Local Gang Members

Suspected gang members were the subjects of a months-long undercover sting that stretched from Lake Elsinore to Perris – police are now reporting they’ve made some big arrests as a result of the multi-agency operation.

On June 28, several search warrants and probation/parole searches were served and 11 people arrested and booked for various felony violations relating to drug sales and possession of illegal firearms, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. The arrests took place in various Perris locations.

As part of the haul, seven firearms were recovered, approximately 50 ounces of marijuana, 7.7 grams of cocaine, 2.4 grams of methamphetamine, and 2.8 grams of Oxycotin were taken off the streets, the sheriff’s department is reporting. In addition over 2,500 pirated CDs and DVDs were seized with a retail value of approximately $34,000, the department reported.

The sting began in February and was a joint operation involving deputies from the Perris/Lake Elsinore Gang Task Force, as well as agents from the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. Over the nearly five-month-long investigation, the two law enforcement agencies bought illegal drugs and guns from the suspected gang members.

"The recovery of these firearms and the arrests made were a result of the combined law enforcement efforts …," said Steven J. Bogdalek, ATF Special Agent in Charge, Los Angeles Field Division. " … Citizens … are safer today due to the combined efforts of all our law enforcement partners to combat violent crime."

An investigator from the Recording Association of America also assisted in the investigation.