18 gang members arrested in sweep

Sheriff warns, ‘We’re coming after’ suspects

A large, countywide search ended Thursday with 18 known gang members back in custody on a variety of charges, the Merced County Sheriff’s Department reported.

The sweep targeted street gangs in nearly every community in Merced County, focusing on those already on probation or parole and many who are serving their sentencing out of custody under the conditions of AB109, the California Prison Realignment Act, according to Sgt. Kevin Blake, who heads the department’s Supervised Release Team.

Sheriff Vern Warnke described Thursday’s sweep, dubbed “Operation Round Up,” as a message to both county residents and gang members.

“We’re coming after them and we’re all coming together as law enforcement agencies,” Warnke said. “They (gangs) don’t care about city limits or county lines and we in law enforcement don’t, either.”

A total of 18 arrests were made, including four on methamphetamine-related allegations. Authorities also seized two loaded firearms, destroyed 130 marijuana plants and four pounds of clipped marijuana buds.

The efforts, spearheaded by Deputy Sam Becerra, involved more than a dozen law enforcement agencies and specialty units, targeting more than 200 locations. Most of those targeted in the sweep were found to be following the terms and conditions of their parole or probation, Blake confirmed.