The investigation, headed by the East County Regional Gang Task Force, initially focused on members of the Skyline street gang, according to federal court records filed in the case. The gang and its affiliates have expanded in recent years into East County areas.
A task force of federal, state and local authorities arrested more than two dozen people, most members of street gangs in San Diego and East County, in the culmination of a yearlong investigation of a large methamphetamine distribution ring.
The investigation involved court-approved wiretaps on more than a dozen phones, as well as numerous drug seizures, federal authorities said.
On Tuesday, the task force of 150 law enforcement officers and agents set out before dawn and made arrests in a series of coordinated raids across San Diego County. On Wednesday afternoon, 27 people appeared in federal court and pleaded not guilty to conspiracy, methamphetamine distribution and other charges.
Three people remain at large, and three others are in state custody facing charges there.
The raids yielded 19 guns, 26 pounds of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $291,000, and $151,000 in cash, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Diego.
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