Feds Arrest 83 In Massive Gang Sweep In Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, NC -- Federal agents conducted a massive gang sweep early Thursday morning, netting 83 arrests of suspected members of the United Blood Nation and charging them with crimes ranging from murder to bank fraud, according to The Charlotte Observer.

Local and state law enforcement joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation in rounding up the members of the United Blood Nation, which is considered to be a branch of the California-based Bloods gang.

Earlier Thursday morning, suspects were photographed filing out of police vans parked in front of a federal courthouse.

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Gang-related crime has increasingly grabbed headlines in the Charlotte region in recent years. In 2015, a dozen Blood gang members were indicted for their involvement with three Charlotte-area murders. The crimes associated with the May 18 raid span 20 crimes in locations that include Charlotte, Gastonia, Shelby and parts of northern South Carolina, the newspaper said.

The early morning raids fall close on the heels of additional federal raids elsewhere in the U.S. Wednesday, more than 40 MS-13 gang members were arrested in Los Angeles in a raid that authorities consider to be one of the most significant when it comes to transnational gang activity, NBC News said.

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