FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 9, 2021
SAN BERNARDINO Calif. –In June of 2021 the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office collaborated in an investigation with the San Bernardino Police Department (SBPD) Special Investigations Bureau – Narcotics Unit, California Highway Patrol (CHP) and Department of Justice (DOJ) Southern Special Operations Unit, conducting a series of short terms firearms investigations targeting members of the San Bernardino based Westside Verdugo criminal street gang.
Founded in the 1950’s, Westside Verdugo is the City of San Bernardino’s largest and oldest Hispanic gang. With an estimated 1,000 members and associates and has an extensive violent criminal history. Members of the Westside Verdugo criminal street gang are directly involved in acts of violence including violent assaults, attempted murder, murder, and maintain direct ties with the Mexican Mafia.
“The scale of this multiagency operation speaks to the commitment we have to eradicate criminal street gangs across San Bernardino County, particularly one with such a violent history as the Westside Verdugo gang. Violent crime is on the rise, and several of the defendants we have filed against are facing their 3rd strike, indicating a propensity for criminal behavior” said District Attorney Jason Anderson. “The success of this takedown was due to the tremendous efforts of San Bernardino Police Department and Department of Justice in conducting the investigation, and the tenacity of our specialized gang unit prosecutors.”
As a result of Operation Westside Jenga, several hundred law enforcement agents made a total of 180 felony arrests, seized 92 handguns, 19 assault rifles, confiscated illegal drugs including cocaine, heroin and fentanyl, and shut down 30 illegal gambling facilities.
District Attorney Anderson adds, “We will use everything in our toolkit including weapon enhancements, gang enhancements, prior convictions, and prior strike convictions to ensure maximum accountability from these defendants, keeping career criminals off the streets of San Bernardino and out of our communities. “
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