Late August brought two major organized crime breakdowns by the FBI in the Southland, each of which resulted in the arrest of Long Beach residents.

On August 21, the FBI announced that the 20-month long Operation Mountain Top succeeded in capturing thirty people allegedly connected to two Mexican drug trafficking organizations, one of which was 23-year-old Long Beach resident Mayra Alejandra Sandoval. 

According to a release from the FBI, Nicolas Santana Zuniga and Raul Cervera, both of Mexico, supposedly led the two drug transportation rings that were under investigation. Authorities seized over 41 kilograms of methamphetamine and 50 kilograms of cocaine during the investigation. 

Sandoval allegedly assisted a transporter who was active in Zuniga’s ring. She was arraigned on August 21 at the United State District Court in Los Angeles and if convicted, faces a possible lifetime sentence in federal prison.

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The second case—dubbed Operation Thumbs Down—was an 18-month investigation that focused on an infamous southland gang, the Rollin’ 30s Harlem Crips, also called the Dirt Gang. Their 1.5 square-mile territory largely surrounds the area of Jefferson Park in South Los Angeles and they are one of the oldest Crips clicks in the area. 

According to the FBI, the territory that the gang calls their own has seen 29 homicides, 1,100 robberies, and 1,075 assaults in the past five years alone. The operation brought charges against 35 individuals, two of which resided in Long Beach: 35-year-old Jason “CT” Thurton and 34-year-old Emerie “Mac” Times.

Both Thurton and Mac joined 19 others who were charged federally. The federal indictment charges included multiple narcotic and weapons violations charges.

If charged, Thurton and Mac could face a prison term ranging from 5 to 30 years in a federal facility.