Thirteen people were arrested Thursday and more than $1 million were seized in a major drug bust that stretched from Athens to Atlanta.
Channel 2′s Dave Huddleston learned the Athens-Clarke County Police Department is still investigating.
“We’ve been working on this case since May, after a number of shootings in the city.” Athens-Clarke County Police Chief Cleveland Spruill said. “That’s the message I want to convey to the community: We’re committed to doing what’s necessary to keeping them safe.”
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Spruill said “Operation Tourniquet " was a multi-agency bust that netted 60 firearms, a land mine and more than a $1 million from gang suspects.
On Thursday morning, more than 100 officers, including Spruill, gathered near a police precinct moments before they arrested 13 suspects, ranging in age from 25 to 64 years old.
Spruill said so far 37 people are behind bars.
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“Investigators spent an numerable amount of time investigating and developing evidence against some of the most prolific street gang members plaquing our community,” he said
Spruill said officers swarmed on 10 different locations in Athens on Thursday to capture the suspects. He said the investigation is not over.
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“The Athens-Clarke County Police Department is committed to making a safe community, where … people can live and not be in fear,” he said.
The suspects are believed to be members of the 1831 Piru street gang that originated out of California, police said.
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