Thursday's crackdown is the latest jab by law enforcement to dismantle one of the region's largest gangs -- the Nortenos. State and local agents served search warrants from Yuba to Stanislaus counties and seized 25 firearms and 11 pounds of methamphetamine.
It follows a similar effort in Salinas known as "Operation Knockout," where nearly 100 gang members were arrested in April after that city saw a spate of killings over the past two years.
Authorities have arrested five gang members in recent weeks in connection with four separate slayings of rivals between March 2004 and July 2005.
