The officers were targeting members of the Rolling 30s Harlem Crips. Officials say this is one of the most violent gangs in South L.A.
More than 800 officers from federal and local agencies took part in the 18-month investigation, which resulted in 35 arrests. The alleged gang members now face a number of federal and state charges, including drug trafficking and money laundering.
Task force members also served 34 federal search warrants on various properties and seized a number of weapons along with narcotics.
Authorities held a news conference Thursday to outline why they went after these specific suspects.
"Among bloods and crips gangs, the Rolling 30s are among the more sophisticated. It's an inter-generational gang. They've got a subset of leaders, who are referred to as original gangsters, or OGs, who tend to call shots and organize subsets of crews," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Pelham.
Investigators say the alleged gang leaders were also engaged in illegal firearms trafficking and money laundering.
When asked about how much money this gang generated, federal authorities were not able to give an exact answer, but they believe this operation might be generating $1 million to $2 million a year, which is why they went after who they said were the people in charge.
