More than 60 drug traffickers, car thieves and firearms
violators were arrested in the culmination of an 11-month sting
dubbed Operation Money Train.
More than 60 drug traffickers, car thieves and firearms violators were arrested in the culmination of an 11-month sting dubbed Operation Money Train.
As of early this week, law enforcement officials had arrested more than 40 people and recovered 60 stolen vehicles worth about $500,000, 33 firearms and nearly $1.4 million worth of drugs, according to a statement issued by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. All told, 1361 grams of crystal methamphetamine, 180 grams of heroin and 320 grams of cocaine were recovered.
Initially launched by the California Highway Patrol to combat a 48 percent increase in auto thefts in Monterey County because during 2007, the operation became a multi-agency investigation that involved state, county, city and federal law enforcement agencies. Police said nearly 100 suspects – including those arrested – were identified and about eight suspects have warrants for their arrests. The operation will continue until all suspects with arrest warrants are taken into custody, police said.
About half a dozen “notable” suspects who were responsible for large amounts of methamphetamine trafficking were arrested in Gilroy and the Gilroy Police Department’s gang task force participated in the sweep, said CHP Sgt. Juan Cervantes.
“This was huge for us,” he said. “No one agency would have been able to do it by itself.”
The goal of the undercover operation was to target gang members and other criminal associates who were stealing vehicles and dealing in firearms and narcotics in the Salinas area, according to the statement.
A number of the defendants were identified as felons and some are documented gang members and associates. Of the arrestees, about 15 will face federal charges including being a felon in possession of a firearm, being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm, possession of an unregistered firearm and the illegal sales of narcotics substances. The state charges are predominantly drug charges and possession of stolen vehicle charges, according to the statement.
More than 130 law enforcement officers participated in the roundup, according to CHP Coastal Division Chief Adam Cuevas.
“To those engaged in stealing cars as part of a criminal enterprise – beware,” said Monterey County Sheriff Mike Kanalakis. “The long arm of the law will eventually find you and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”
