Following a thorough two-year investigation, the Columbus Division of Police has announced the arrest of 16 people connected to the Livingston Lonsdale Bloods gang. A gang involved in violent crimes and significant drug trafficking in Columbus’ Far East Side was the subject of these arrests. The goal of the “Operation Pocket Aces” was to eliminate what the Columbus police believed to be a recurring criminal danger in the neighborhood.
The gang members are connected to a slew of violent assaults and drug trafficking that have plagued the neighborhood for nearly 20 years, according to NBC4i. The investigation was headed by Columbus Police’s Gang Enforcement Unit, which seized 56 firearms, a significant amount of drugs, and more than $150,000 in cash. It’s noteworthy that every person detained had a prior felony that barred them from owning a firearm.
“We can disrupt and dismantle gang violence in Columbus,” said LaShanna Potts, first assistant chief of the Columbus Division of Police, who voiced confidence in the team effort. And as the Columbus Dispatch piece explains, we’re taking it one gang at a time. The operation found allegations against the accused linked to violence and firearms in addition to drug-related offenses.
Sgt. Shawn Gruber highlighted the gang’s strategic activities, which occasionally took place close to schools, intensifying the seriousness of their acts. “With gangs, there are violent individuals that traffic drugs,” Gruber told NBC4i. The consequences of the gang’s conduct were said to have extended beyond the actual sale of drugs and included fostering an atmosphere of terror.
Residents of Columbus, like Chandler Tennant, have expressed relief and shock in their reactions. Tennant told WBNS he couldn’t believe he recognized some of the people who had been arrested from his youth. However, he applauded the improved safety that followed these arrests, suggesting a change for the better for the community’s residents, particularly the young families. Authorities promise that comparable criminal organizations will continue to be the focus of this continuing investigation, which aims to improve public safety and reduce the amount of gang activity in Columbus.
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