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North County gangs, drug activity targeted

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Twenty-two people were charged in indictments and federal complaints unsealed Wednesday as part of an ongoing crackdown on gang and drug activity in North County, federal officials said.

Eighteen of the 22 defendants were already in federal or state custody. The others were arrested Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Most of the defendants are associates of the Mexican Mafia operating primarily in Oceanside and Vista. The Mexican Mafia is a powerful prison-based gang.

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Eleven of the defendants are charged with taking part in a racketeering conspiracy that included conspiracy to commit murder, assault with a deadly weapon, extortion, money laundering and drug trafficking.

The ongoing investigation by federal, state and local agencies has been dubbed “Operation Corridor” because it has focused on criminal activity along the state Route 78 corridor. Since April 2012, 68 people have been charged, the statement said.

Investigators used electronic surveillance and intercepted phone lines to uncover a conspiracy to extort money and control the drug trade in North County and various state prisons.

“We will continue to target gangs operating on the streets of our communities in conjunction with associates operating in jails and prisons,” U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy said in the statement. “Their criminal behavior will not be tolerated.”

She praised the North County Regional Gang Task Force for the coordinated team effort in the investigation.

Derek Benner, special agent in charge for ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego, said in the statement that Operation Corridor “is a fine example of utilizing our strategic law enforcement partnerships to combat an increasingly dangerous fusion of violent gangs and organized crime.”

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