Alleged members of transnational organized crime group face federal charges
UPDATE (4:20 PM): Federal, local, and international law enforcement announced charges against dozens of suspected members of transnational organized crimes groups based in India in what investigators call "Operation Hard Ball."
The FBI says a police activity in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles Tuesday was part of the two-year long investigation.
The DOJ says more than two dozen defendants, including 11 people in California, were connected to three crime groups in India that engaged in targeted killings, extortion, drug trafficking across international borders and other crimes worldwide.
"We will not allow that to continue in this city. For two years, investigators shared intelligence, followed leads across international borders, and built a case designed not simply to make arrests, but to dismantle an entire criminal network," said Chief Jim McDonnell with the Los Angeles Police Department.
In all 37 defendants across four countries, the U.S., Canada, India and Spain, were indicted.
Law enforcement seized guns, cash, and around 1000 kilos of cocaine.
Authorities say 10 fugitives, seven in the U.S., two in India, and one in Europe, are still being sought by police.
"I just want to really emphasize how important this is today, and we hope it's going to have a massive, massive positive impact on communities, not only here in LA, but throughout the world," said U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli.
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LOS ANGELES (KYMA, NBC) - Federal, state and international law enforcement officials are holding a press conference Tuesday morning.
The press conference is to announce federal charges and arrests of alleged members of a transnational organized crime group.
Bill Essayli, U.S. District Attorney for the Central District of California, is participating in the press conference, along with Patrick Grandy, Assistant Director in Charge for the FBI Los Angeles Office, Chief Jim McDonnell with the Los Angeles Police Department and Commissioner Mike Duheme with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
To watch the livestream of the press conference, see attached video.
