Sixty-seven people have been arrested after a six-month investigation of two street gangs based in Fontana, the South Fontana gang the Mexican Mafia prison gang, authorities said Thursday.
Firearms, ammunition, methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin and prescription medications were seized during an operation Thursday, the Fontana Police Department announced.
Thirty-five people were arrested in that operation, while 32 had previously been arrested over the course of the investigation.
More than 350 law enforcement officers worked on Thursday’s efforts, which were dubbed “Operation Bad Blood.”
The operation is part of a joint investigation involving Fontana police, the state justice department’s Bureau of Investigation, and the California Highway Patrol.
The two gangs traffic in firearms and illegal drugs, police said. South Fontana is affiliated with the Sureños, a regional street gang that has allegiance to the Mexican Mafia, according to police. The gang operates in Fontana and surrounding part of the Inland Empire. La Eme has operations throughout the California prison system.
Those arrested have been charged or held on suspicion of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, drug trafficking and illegal firearms possession.