East Bay Gang War: Last 2 Of 15 Defendants Plead No Contest To Attempted Murder
MARTINEZ (CBS SF) -- On Wednesday, the last two defendants in the "Operation Omega Red" case pleaded no contest to charges of attempted murder with gang-related enhancements, the last of 15 defendants in a case involving a gang war between Nortenos and Surenos in central and eastern Contra Costa, that county's district attorney's office said.
Jesse "Manos" Loyola and Armando "Mando" Amaro pleaded no contest to attempted murder with firearm use and committing the crimes for the benefit of the Norteno gang.
The Concord Police Department, the FBI Safe Streets Task Force and other law enforcement agencies have led Operation Omega Red, which began in May 2016 in response to a series of 11 shootings between Nortenos and Surenos in central and eastern Contra Costa starting in July 2015 and ending in June 2016.
Seven of those shootings resulted in deaths. Four of those murders occurred on state Highway 4, two occurred in Concord and one in Bay Point.
Concord Police and other law enforcement agencies believed these shootings were related to an ongoing gang war between Nortenos and Surenos in central and eastern Contra Costa.
The 15 defendants have received a combined 165 years of jail time for their convictions and pleas.
"We focused our efforts on the 'violence drivers,' the individuals who were committing the most serious acts of violence and putting the community in the greatest danger," said Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton in a statement. These violence drivers, Becton said, were Amaro, Loyola and Thomas "Lil T" Leon.
The investigation, which lasted just under three months, resulted in the arrests of more than 20 people, 18 of whom were prosecuted on charges ranging from conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, drug sales, witness retaliation and firearms crimes.
Since the first Operation Omega Red arrests in August 2016, there has been one murder on state Highway 4 (not gang-related) and one gang-related murder in the city of Concord.
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