Investigation Into Organized LA Crime Has Led To Arrests, Gun And Drug Seizures

Over the past year, 27 people were arrested during a multi-agency operation known as Operation Safe Harbor, officials announced Monday.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta and LAPD Chief Michael Moore said the people arrested were members of organizations that allegedly run a statewide narcotics and firearm trafficking network.

“We're committed to ending the fentanyl crisis, to preventing gun violence, to taking down human trafficking rings, to combating retail theft, dismantling gangs, and working with our partners as we have today in local, state, and federal law enforcement to make all those things happen,” Bonta said.

Investigators said that the arrested people are higher up in the chain of the crime ring’s command, and that state and federal prison could be involved in the charges.

The agencies involved include the LAPD, the California Highway Patrol, and Homeland Security.

LAPD Commanding Officer Brent McGuyre said at Monday's news conference that it’s important to step into the community in ways that aren’t just on the enforcement level.

“Providing for youth programs and interventions so that we can cut the flow into these organizations is as important as taking off the leadership within the organization,” McGuyre said.

Anchored in the LA Harbor area, it was revealed that the criminal group extends beyond Los Angeles, which led to further arrests and investigations in Tulare and Kern counties in the Central Valley.

“For those that would continue to be involved themselves in gun trafficking and narcotic trafficking and the poisoning of what we see in Angelenos, know that your time is measured,” Moore said.