76 criminal suspects, many of them in the U.S. illegally have been rounded up in South Texas as part of a nationwide Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation targeting criminal gangs nationwide, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
Local ICE officials say those arrested locally claimed membership in the Tango Orejon, Bloods, and Mexican Mafia gangs.
The Feds say all of those arrested were were picked up on charges ranging from drug trafficking to weapons smuggling, sex trafficking, murder, and racketeering.
Among those arrested by ICE agents and the San Antonio Police Department Violent Crimes Task Force is Gilbert Vasquez, who was found in a house packed with cocaine, heroin, meth, handguns, and $8,000 in cash. Three other people, were also found in the home and were arrested by SAPD.
The arrests were part of Operation Community Shield, an operation which arrested more than 1300 people, the largest gang surge conducted by Homeland Security Investigations.
Of all of those arrested, 1098 were charged with federal or state criminal counts, and including 21 arrested for murder. The rest were arrested for immigration violations.
Individuals who were in the U.S. illegally were from 21 counties in South and Central America, Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Caribbean.