Raids nab 55 Hells Angels, guns, drugs
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Law enforcement officers approach a Hells Angels clubhouse in Anchorage, Alaska, Wednesday.
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LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Fifty-five members and associates of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang were arrested in five states Wednesday following raids that also netted dozens of guns and some drugs, officials said.
Special Agent in Charge Donald Kincaid of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) said those arrested face firearms, drug and other charges.
The raids, the result of a two-year investigation, took place in California, Nevada, Arizona, Washington and Alaska, and involved federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, Kincaid said in a statement.
"This joint operation is just one small part of ATF's ongoing, collaborative efforts to reduce violent crime, particularly as it relates to gang violence and firearms-related violent crime," his statement said.
Those arrested were taken into custody for alleged violations of narcotics trafficking, firearms violations, possessing stolen explosives and various other crimes, the ATF statement said.
Authorities confiscated about 50 firearms, narcotics and stolen explosives in the raids in the Western states.
The ATF statement said Hells Angels dates back to the 1940s and has about 2,500 full-fledged members and prospects worldwide.
"The gang is believed to be involved in a variety of criminal activities, including the manufacture and distribution of methamphetamine, firearms and explosives trafficking, extortion, and motorcycle theft," the statement said.
It added that "the Hells Angels are considered the largest and most heavily armed of all the 'outlaw motorcycle gangs.' "
