The Tampa Tribune
Florida --The gang task force included Hillsborough sheriff's deputies, FBI agents and U.S. attorney's office investigators, as well as an undercover Pasco County sheriff's detective who infiltrated one gang.
Information from some sources was so reliable, in one instance a planned home invasion was thwarted and waiting deputies arrested the would-be assailants as they pulled up to the home.
In all, 105 suspected gang members were arrested, 52 of whom had confirmed gang affiliations. They faced a total of 325 criminal charges, some of which are federal. Deputies seized about $700,000 in illegal drugs, $36,600 in stolen property, $85,000 in vehicles and $9,500 in firearms.
Charges included attempted murder, robbery, theft, home invasion, drug possession and trafficking, assault and battery. Some were juveniles, but most were in their mid- to late teens and 20s.
Most of those named on warrants have been arrested, the sheriff said. Some were illegal immigrants and may be deported, he added.
Posted by Suzanne at September 20, 2005