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Bust Of Asian Street Gangs Yields 17 Arrests, 6 Guns And Various Drugs

LONG BEACH (CBS) — Seventeen members of five Asian gangs were arrested Wednesday in early morning raids at 47 locations.

Most of the suspects are described as Cambodian.

Officials also seized six handguns, forged checks and various narcotics, including methamphetamine, Ecstasy and marijuana.

The raids were conducted by a task force led by the Long Beach Police Department, but also involving the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, several Orange County police departments and other agencies. Task force officials expressed surprise that many of the gang members, formerly rivals, have now teamed up.

During the four-month investigation, detectives also learned that the suspects may have been involved in several home invasion burglaries and other thefts in the Long Beach area and several locations in Orange County, according to Rico Fernandez of the Long Beach Police Department.

Expensive items taken during robberies and burglaries, including Rolex and Movado watches, were also recovered.

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