Thirty-four members of the Pasadena Denver Lane Bloods gang were arrested Tuesday morning following a crackdown by a task force consisting of federal agents and local police. Eleven of the suspects were named in federal indictments of 23 of the members, who were charged with cocaine trafficking in the Antelope Valley, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Six other gang members sought were at-large and another was in the hospital.
The crackdown came after a sheriff's deputy was shot and wounded in July, 2009, allegedly by a PDL member, in Palmdale.
Besides making arrests, the task force claims to have seized nearly two pounds of crack and 114 grams of powder cocaine.
“This enforcement action has dealt a serious blow to one of the most dangerous and aggressive criminal street gangs operating in the Antelope Valley,” stated Immigration and Customs Enforcement official Claude Arnold. “As a result of our collective efforts, we've taken several leaders of this organization off of the street and shutdown a lucrative and potentially lethal drug trafficking scheme.
According to the U.S. Attorney's statement, the defendants are:
Byron McGee, 28, of Palmdale, who was already in custody
Darnell St. Clair, 28, of Lancaster, who was already in custody
Ivan McGee, 24, of Lancaster, who was already in custody
David Leon Dixon Jr., 42, of Lancaster, who is a fugitive
Derrick Powell, 24, of Lancaster, who was already in custody
Travon Peacock, 24, of Quartz Hill, who was arrested this morning
Joseph Senegal, 27, of Palmdale, who was already in custody
Kendrick Smith, 26, of Palmdale, who is a fugitive
Jermaine Thomas, 23, of Lancaster, who was arrested this morning
Howard Vaughn, 39, of Palmdale, who was arrested this morning
Charissa Brown, 36, of Lancaster, who is in the hospital
James Logan, 47, of Lancaster, who is a fugitive
Angelo Sanders, 44, of Lakeview Terrace, who is a fugitive
Dwayne Bland, 26, of Palmdale, who was arrested this morning
Wahid Shabazz, 54, of Lancaster, who was arrested this morning
Jayvon Thomas, 31, of Palmdale, who was arrested this morning
Michael Bridges, 28, of Palmdale, who is a fugitive
Bernard Taylor, 21, of Palmdale, who is a fugitive
Sheila Logan, 47, of Lancaster, who was arrested this morning
Iwana Cruse, 33, of Lancaster, who was arrested this morning
Milove Cabrera, 21, of Palmdale, who was arrested this morning
Antrone Springfield, 35, of Lancaster, who was arrested this morning
Clarence Weathers, 41, of Palmdale, who was arrested this morning.
They all face a minimum of 10 years behind bars if they're convicted of cocaine trafficking, according to office.
Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.