Gang sweep nets 1,100 arrests nationwide, 44 in Houston

Nearly 1,000 suspected gang members - including more than 40 in Houston - have been arrested as part of a nationwide sweep aimed at disrupting transnational crime organizations.

The five-week operation, dubbed "Project Shadowfire," nabbed suspected members of MS-13, Sureños, Norteños, Bloods and several prison-based gangs. They face charges including homicide, child molestation, weapons violations, human smuggling, drugs, assault and burglary.

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Enforcement actions occurred around the country, with the greatest activity taking place in the Los Angeles, San Juan, Atlanta, San Francisco, Houston, and El Paso areas.

In the Southern District of Texas, which stretches from the Houston area south to Laredo, 112 people were arrested with suspected ties to 26 gangs. A dozen people were charged with federal crimes; 100 with state charges, according to a press release describing the operation.

State officials say accused murderers, child molesters and others were among those caught up in Southeast Texas. The operation was a combined state, federal and local round-up. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations partnered with local law enforcement agencies for the sweep during February and March, which netted 1,133 arrests nationwide.

About 240 of the arrested individuals were foreign nationals, from 13 countries in Central America, Asia, Europe and the Caribbean.

HSI Special Agent inspects an arrested individualâs tattoos for signs of gang affiliation. One thousand one hundred and thirty-three individuals were arrested across the U.S. during Project Shadowfire, a 5-week operation led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcementâs (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) that ended March 18. The operation targeted transnational criminal gangs and others associated with transnational criminal activity, like drug trafficking, human smuggling and sex trafficking, murder and racketeering. less HSI Special Agent inspects an arrested individualâs tattoos for signs of gang affiliation. One thousand one hundred and thirty-three individuals were arrested across the U.S. during Project Shadowfire, a ... more Photo: U.S. Immigration And Customs Enf Photo: U.S. Immigration And Customs Enf Image 1 of / 63 Caption Close Gang sweep nets 1,100 arrests nationwide, 44 in Houston 1 / 63 Back to Gallery

Forty-four of the suspects were arrested in Houston. Greg Palmore, an ICE spokesman, said that one of the most significant arrests here included an alleged MS-13 gang member accused of child molestation.

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Investigators arrested an additional 68 alleged gang members in Corpus Christi, including two believed to be members of the Texas Syndicate. Among those, officials arrested Jessie Salazar, 20, who was arrested for violating the conditions of his bail. Salazar has been charged along with three others in the Aug. 8, 2014 slaying of a 29-year-old Corpus Christi man.

Sean McElroy, the Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of Houston HSI, said agents and officers with ICE and partnering organizations focused on geographical hotspots and specific gangs in their efforts during the five-week surge.

"We basically went through and looked at "who's worst of worst, and what do we need to get them off the street?" he said. "And how can we do that? Is it, 'are we going to get them on a criminal charge?' Some of them may be illegal aliens, where we can deport them, and others may just be surveillance, crime-of-opportunity type things.'"

The goal of the recent operation was to disrupt every-day gang activity, and use the results of the surge to continue anti-gang efforts, he said.

"This is really not the end," he explained. "The idea is, now that we have several people in custody, what can we get out of that ... we want to not only disrupt gang activities, but dismantle the criminal organization."

The department did not release the names of those arrested, although they indicated they have already been charged.

In a statement accompanying news of the operation, ICE Director Sarah R. Saldaña said the operation was "the latest example of ICE's ongoing efforts ... to target violent gang members and their associates, to eradicate the violence they inflict upon our communities and to stop the cash flow to transnational organized crime groups operating overseas."

In the Houston region, which by some estimates is home to as many as 20,000 gang members, experts said the arrests were potentially "very significant."

Since the beginning of the year, authorities at the Texas Anti-Gang Center in Houston have arrested 243 gang members, seized 60 firearms, more than 40 kilograms of cocaine and 530 doses of ecstacy along with 1.3 million dollars in cash, $250,000 in real estate, and $150,000 in other assets, said George Rhyne, administrator of the center, which monitors and fights Houston-area gangs.

"The intent is to destabilize these organizations with the ultimate goal of trying to put them out of business," Rhyne said.