Drug dealers, gangsters targeted in crackdown.
Drug dealers and gangsters were the target of a major crackdown in Salinas’ Chinatown on Thursday.
Authorities said Chinatown is known for its problems with drugs and gangs.
Dozens of law enforcement officers swarmed the neighborhood and arrested a dozen people while confiscating methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana.
“It’s about time that police are doing the right thing and arresting people. This is the time that we need to stop the crime. There a lot of criminals in here,” Chinatown resident Elsa Urbina said.
A six-month undercover operation was led by the Department of Justice, and it broke wide open Thursday morning as officers went through businesses, homeless shelters and encampments looking for gangsters and drug dealers.
“I think they (are) doing a good job. I think they’re doing what we’re paying them to do: clean up the streets and keep everybody safe,” said David Esparza, who works near Chinatown.
There was criticism from some who felt they were wrongly caught up in the dragnet.
[…]
