OFF THE WIRE
Brian New
kens5.com
The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) says more than 10 members of a local organized crime gang have been arrested in what authorities are calling a "devastating blow" to the Bandidos Motorcycle Club.
Along with the ten arrests made Wednesday in Hondo, special agents seized homes, cars, $200,000 in cash, guns, cocaine and a large amount of meth, that investigators say was as pure as any they have seen in this area.
Their main message: The Bandidos Motorcycle Club is not a social club, but an organized gang.
For months now investigators have been tracking the Bandidos from California to Texas. Federal agents say the bikers would hide drugs and cash behind the headlight of their motorcycles and they transported meth and cocaine to Texas.
But, it's not just drugs the federal agents say the Bandidos are involved in.
"Dealing not just in narcotics, drugs, but also involving murders, extortion, prostitution, illegal smuggling - you name it," says the DEA's Mauricio Fernandez.
"They are a bunch of bad, bad actors," says San Antonio Police Chief, William McManus. "And the fact that these individuals are off the street, makes the San Antonio area much safer for it."
The DEA's Operation Screaming Eagle ranged from Kerrville to San Antonio, all the way out to California, and even south of the border.
KENS 5 will bring you more on this developing story.
