Five indictments charged a total of 147 members and associates of the Varrio Hawaiian Gardens gang, and federal and local agencies had arrested 63 people in a sweep early Thursday. According to the indictments, the Latino street gang waged a racist campaign that included attempted murders and other crimes against the city's black residents while flooding the area with guns and drugs.
More than 1,400 law enforcement officers, including 17 different SWAT teams, were involved in the sweep across the small city and the surrounding area. The teams seized dozens of guns, including semiautomatic assault rifles, and drugs worth more than $1 million.
U.S. Attorney Thomas P. O'Brien asserted the case represented "the largest gang takedown in United States history."
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