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LAPD, FBI Conduct Massive Gang Sweep

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A yearlong probe by a task force of LAPD and FBI investigators culminated Thursday in the pre-dawn arrests of at least 39 gang members suspected of drug trafficking in the Baldwin Village of Los Angeles, authorities said.

The suspects were all members of the Black P Stones, a Bloods set that has controlled drug trafficking in and around the Baldwin Village area for decades, according to authorities.

The pre-dawn raids were conducted by hundreds of heavily armed FBI agents and LAPD officers nearly six years after a similar operation netted 28 gang leaders from the same set. Those arrested Thursday morning were taken to a mobile processing center outside the Sports Arena.

Authorities say the Black P Stones have a reputation for using deadly violence to control their Southwest Los Angeles "turf" in 1-square-mile Baldwin Village, described for decades by cops on the beat as the "Jungle."

The arrestees included 16 of 21 people indicted on federal drug trafficking and conspiracy to traffic charges, said Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles.
Most of the suspects indicted on federal charges face from five to 40 years in prison.

There were also "23 gang members arrested on state warrants, and five others arrested on non-warrant charges," which may include parole or probation violations, said Shiara Davila-Morales, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office.

(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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