Gang crackdown results in 72 arrests in Mesa

A three-week special investigation led by Mesa’s police Gang Unit netted 72 people and identified dozens of new gang members, officials announced Thursday at a news conference.

Police Chief George Gascón said gang members and those who affiliate with them are a high priority for the department because of the large number of crimes they commit and because there has been an increase of certain groups coming to Mesa.

“We’re noticing that more and more of the gang members operating in the area are not necessarily from the city of Mesa and that is a great concern to us,” Gascón said.

Also, Gascón said he is trying to “send a very clear message that gang activity is not going to be tolerated.”

The special investigation called “Operation 480” targeted gang members participating in illegal activities and was led by Mesa police Sgt. Jalyn Bellows. Police said some of the gang members committed armed robberies, aggravated assaults and drug violations, and possessed stolen property. One person arrested was an illegal immigrant, Gascón said.

“We’re targeting illegal activity,” Gascón said.

He added it doesn’t matter whether a person is a citizen or an illegal immigrant, if he or she commits a crime, there will be consequences.

During the investigation, gang cops went out into the city and spent the first two weeks gathering information. Once officers had cases built, they served search warrants at various homes.

Bellows said goals of the operation were to arrest as many gang members as possible, build criminal cases, serve search warrants and cut crime.

During the investigation, police spoke with 81 different gang members from 34 different gangs, such as the Mexican Mafia, Aryan Brotherhood, East Side Bloods and Salt River Homies.

During a search in the 400 block of East First Street, officers recovered stolen guns and drugs along with other stolen property, and in the area of Brown Road and Center Street, police identified two armed robbery suspects believed responsible for multiple robberies. Also, police nabbed two people suspected of committing vehicle burglaries and caught an ex-convict accused of shooting someone about two weeks after his release from prison.

“This was an operation that looked at a lot of criminal activities in the city,” Gascón said.

While Gascón said he’s trying to make gang members unwelcome in Mesa, he noted the nature of gangs today, combined with the fact that Mesa is a large city, means they are still coming into the area.

“Gangs in this region are not necessarily as territorial as they are in other parts,” he  said.

But while the chief promises to go after gangs as much as possible in Mesa, he said the city is also tackling the problem on the front end through school programs for at-risk youths, such as the Making Every Student Accountable program.

Of the 72 people arrested, 38 are suspected of misdemeanor crimes and 34 of felonies. Police also identified 32 different gang members.

U.S. Marshals and Eloy, Salt River and Tempe police, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement also assisted in the investigation.

Operation 480 came months after a similar investigation led to the arrests of about 80 people. Mesa police said they will continue special investigations targeting gang members.

A breakdown of the 72 people arrested:
20 documented gang members
38 gang associates
7 juveniles
4 parolees
3 probationers