The streets of South Jersey are a bit safer Wednesday following a statewide gang sting, which slapped cuffs on 1,800 suspects.
The operation targeted suspected gang members and violent criminals .
In all, 1,844 suspects were arrested, wanted for crimes like murder and armed robbery.
Of those arrested, 1,291 suspects were in South Jersey counties and at least 258 were suspected members of gangs like the Bloods, Crips, and Latin Kings.
The initiative included 19 of N.J.’s 21 counties, targeting high gun and drug trafficking areas, with Camden a top priority.
“We aimed our attention at the most violent criminals and the toughest of street gangs trafficking in illegal drugs and guns and terrorizing neighborhoods and communities,” Attorney General Anne Milgram said.
In addition to the arrests, $4 million in drugs, 162 guns, and $860,000 in cash were seized, according to officials.
As a result of the sting, eight homicides were solved, future planned homicides were thwarted, and 40 guns were confiscated in Camden County, officials said.
Violent crime is not just an urban problem. Suspected gang members roam the suburbs, too.
“The importance of the statewide initiative in Gloucester County is recognizing that we need to deal with gang-related issues here in the suburbs just as they do in the more urban areas,” Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean Dalton told the Courier Post.
35 suspects tied to gangs like the Pagans and Wheels of Soul were arrested in Gloucester County and more than 500 suspects were arrested in Burlington County.
