By Khalida Sarwari
A massive raid targeting powerful gang leaders is under way in the Salinas area, Attorney General Jerry Brown’s office announced this morning.
Brown and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will appear together in Salinas for a 1 p.m. news conference to discuss “Operation Knockout,” carried out in San Jose, Salinas and other parts of Monterey County.
Today’s sweep is the culmination of an eight-month investigation that began in response to increased gang violence in Salinas, Brown spokeswoman Christine Gasparac said.
A coalition of more than 200 federal, state, and local law enforcement agents served search and arrest warrants about 7 a.m., Gasparac said.
The raids were organized and conducted by agents from Brown’s Gang Suppression Enforcement Program, part of the state Department of Justice’s Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement.
“He has made cracking down on gang violence a priority throughout the state,” Gasparac said of Brown.