(The Center Square) – In a high stakes operation which began in February 2021 and was conducted by an alliance of state and federal law enforcement agencies, several members of the Varrio Colonia Parlier Norteños criminal street gang will now face prosecution.
Operation “Broken Bonds” conducted on May 25 2023, netted 64 guns, including ghost guns, AR-style rifles, semi-automatic handguns; extended magazines, ammunition, and body armor; 7 lbs. of Methamphetamine, 26 oz. of Fentanyl and 15 oz. of Cocaine; and approximately $26,509 in currency. A mass shooting was also circumvented, according to the California Department of Justice.
The undercover operation focused on Norteño gang members which terrorized communities with crime and illegal activity and threatened local law enforcement in a 2022 incident involving arson against a Parlier Police Department vehicle.
Thirty-four suspects were taken into custody. Law enforcement served 55 state and federal search and arrest warrants at locations throughout Fresno and Tulare Counties on alleged gang members who “responsible for an increase in violence, including homicides, and illegal firearms in the Fresno area, specifically the cities of Reedley and Parlier,” a release by the Department of Justice stated.
“The arrests of these men and women is expected to have an immediate effect in lowering violent crime in Fresno County,” Tony Botti, Spokesman for Fresno’s Sheriff’s office said in a press release.
Detectives are working with prosecutors to complete investigations on individuals who appear to be responsible for unsolved murders in Parlier.
One murder involved the case of mistaken identity where a 52-year-old field worker was shot while pulling up to a home on the 13000 block of 9th Street in Parlier. Silvano Mendoza was on his way to his job with other co-workers on Sunday, June 13th, 2021 when 26-year-old Francisco Munoz of Parlier opened fire on the car. Munoz was arrested for the killing during Operation Broken Bonds.
“Their unlawful behavior has disrupted and destroyed many neighborhoods, especially in Parlier. We hope our hard work returns a sense of peace to citizens who deserve to feel safe in their communities,” Botti noted.
The suspects face charges of murder, drug trafficking, gun possession, conspiracy, racketeering, carjacking, armed robbery, home invasion, burglary, extortion, transportation of narcotics and gang enhancements. The Fresno County District Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California will be prosecuting the cases. Prosecutions will take place on both the state and federal levels.
Over 3 dozen agencies participated in the large-scale operation.
California Attorney General Bonta said, “This operation sends a strong message that criminal activity targeting our communities and threatening public servants protecting Californians will not be tolerated. I want to thank our local, state and federal law enforcement agencies for their collaboration in making Fresno County a safer place. Protecting public safety is our highest priority and we won’t rest until the job is done.”
This article First appeared in the center square