MERCED, Calif. (AP) — A five-month joint investigation dubbed “Operation Red Right Hand” has led to the arrest of dozens of Merced County gang members, the California attorney general’s office announced Thursday.
The multi-agency investigation targeted members of the Merced County Nortenos street gang. Local law enforcement, state corrections and state highway patrol banded together after a number of gang-related homicides rocked the central valley, starting in 2013.
Investigators found a battle involving Nortenos, Crips and Nuestra Familia, a California prison gang.
The investigation resulted in the seizure of 5,000 pirated DVDs, 1,500 pseudoephedrine pills, $85,000 in cash, 11 firearms, four pounds of methamphetamine, three pounds of cocaine, one pound of heroin and 50 pounds of marijuana.
In addition, 75 people have been arrested over the course of the operation.
