14 Gang, Drug Arrests Made In LA Area As Part Of LAPD-FBI Investigation
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) -- Fourteen arrests were made in Los Angeles as part of a joint operation between the FBI and the Los Angeles Police Department.
The defendants who were part of the investigation, dubbed Operation Hoover Dam, are all alleged gang members, gang associates or drug dealers who operated in gang territory, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
They are accused of a variety of crimes, including weapons violations and distributing narcotics, including methamphetamine, crack cocaine, cocaine and phencyclidine (PCP).
Officials said some of the drugs were sold to customers out of two South Los Angeles storefronts, such as TNN Market and H&E Smoke and Snack Shop.
So far, there have been three indictments returned over the past few weeks by a federal grand jury in Los Angeles.
After the 14 arrests throughout Tuesday and Wednesday, authorities were continuing to search for one defendant, Ricky Blue, 51, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
If convicted, most of the defendants would face mandatory minimum sentences of five or 10 years in federal prison, prosecutors said.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)