Long Term Investigation Disrupts the Operations of Criminal Street Gangs

In response to the rising threat of gang violence, the Porterville Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), California Highway Patrol, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and several other federal, state, and local agencies initiated a criminal investigation into illegal narcotics and gun trafficking by suspected gang members operating in and around the City of Porterville, Tulare County, Fresno County, and other nearby areas.

On July 29, 2021, after an 11 month investigation named, “Operation Bloodline”, the Porterville Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), California Highway Patrol (CHP), California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), and the California Department of Justice (DOJ), served 7 Federal search warrants and 7 State search warrants on residences of suspected criminal street gang members.

In culmination of this ongoing investigation, investigators made a total of 39 arrests of suspected criminal street gang members, while serving 29 residential search warrants over the last 11 months. Investigators seized 34 firearms, three of which had been reported stolen. $80,000 in US currency was seized along with 427 grams of cocaine, 26 grams of methamphetamine, and 3 pounds of processed marijuana.

Investigators also seized over 1,000 miscellaneous pills, which included pills containing fentanyl, morphine, Oxycodone, and Xanax. Four illegal marijuana gardens were eradicated and a marijuana conversion lab (BHO lab) was located and dismantled.

The Porterville Police Department’s mission was to completely disrupt the operations of this criminal operation by this long term investigation and the arrests of the higher-ranking members of the organization. The Porterville Police Department is committed to ongoing gang suppression in an effort to rid the City of criminal street gangs.