Catch us live on BlogTalkRadio every



Tuesday & Thursday at 6pm P.S.T.




Sunday, October 9, 2011

CALIFORNIA - Authorities Collar Outlaw Bikers with Operation 'Simple Green'

OFF THE WIRE
Department of Justice Riverside Inland Crackdown Allied Task Force arrested about a dozen members of the Vagos gang. Hundreds of weapons are seized.
Search warrants were served and arrests made in Bernardino County today, as part of a multi-county effort by state agents collaring Vagos gang members.
A dozen outlaw Vagos motorcyle gang members were arrested and 300 guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition seized, the state’s attorney general announced.
The arrests were made in San Bernardino, Imperial, Riverside, Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego and Santa Barbara counties after an 18-month investigation by California Department of Justice.
The operation, code-named "Simple Green," was run by the Department of Justice Riverside Inland Crackdown Allied Task Force.
"This outlaw biker gang has been terrorizing our community for years and what happened today is another huge step in the war on gangs I declared in 2005," said San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael A. Ramos.
"This task force is a clear example of how a cooperative team approach can be effective in making our citizens safe.”
Some 70 special agents from the state DOJ along with law enforcement officers from 42 allied local and federal agencies, served 52 search warrants and arrested suspects for crimes ranging from murder, assault with a deadly weapon, conspiracy, rape and narcotic related crimes.
The weapons seized included semiautomatic rifles, shotguns and handguns, officials said.
According to Michelle Gregory, special agent for the state Department of Justice, the Vagos is a dangerous gang that needs to be stopped.
“These guys do just about every sort of criminal activity out there,” Gregory said. Extortion, rapes.
“They’re just a very violent group.
“They are constantly on law enforcement radar.”
The operation was code-named "Simple Green," and was led by the Department of Justice's Riverside INCA Task Force.
In April 2010, a task force launched an investigation of the Vagos gang, a trans-national gang operating in the United States, Mexico, Canada, Germany, New Zealand and Puerto Rico, officials said.
Agents served 14 search warrants and arrested 25 people, seizing 46 pounds of cocaine, eight pounds of methamphetamine, more than $37,000, three stolen vehicles, 26 firearms, a grenade launcher, a rocket launcher, four practice grenades and body armor.
Gregory said these weapons are not for resale.
“They will use these weapons,” Gregory said.
“It’s a good day for law enforcement and for the community,” Gregory said.

http://lomalinda.patch.com/articles/authorities-collar-outlaw-bikers-with-operation-simple-green