[California Attorney General’s Office] – Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced the arrests of 12 members of the Vagos Outlaw Motorcycle Gang, along with the seizure of more than 300 guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition, in San Bernardino, Imperial, Riverside, Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego and Santa Barbara counties after an 18-month investigation by California Department of Justice.

Seventy special agents from the California Department of Justice, along with law enforcement from 42 allied local and federal agencies, executed 52 search warrants and arrested subjects for crimes ranging from murder, assault with a deadly weapon, conspiracy, rape and narcotic related crimes.

“Our Department of Justice agents lead California’s efforts to combat gang violence,” said Attorney General Harris. “Their expertise and ability to coordinate large-scale operations targeting the most organized and lethal gangs cannot be replicated. There is significant evidence that outlaw motorcycle gangs, like the ones whose member we arrested today, regularly perpetrate serious, violent crimes. Today’s action will make Californians safer.”

“This outlaw biker gang has been terrorizing our community for years and what happened today is another huge step in the war on gangs I declared in 2005,” said San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael A. Ramos. “This task force is a clear example of how a cooperative team approach can be effective in making our citizens safe. I want to thank California Attorney General Kamala Harris for her continued support and the hard work of her special agents in the Department of Justice for being such a key part of this team.”

The operation, code-named “Simple Green” was led by the Department of Justice’s Riverside INCA Task Force. In April 2010, the task force launched an investigation of the Vagos Outlaw Motorcycle Gang, a transnational gang operating in the United States, Mexico, Canada, Germany, New Zealand and Puerto Rico.

Through the course of the investigation, agents served 14 state search warrants and arrested 25 people. Agents also seized 46 lbs. of cocaine, 8 lbs. of methamphetamine, more than $37,000, 3 stolen vehicles, 26 firearms, a grenade launcher, a rocket launcher, four practice grenades and body armor.

A member of the Vagos Motorcycle Gang was recently arrested in the shooting of a rival gang member in a Nevada casino.

The California Department of Justice led the investigation, with support from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the San Bernardino County Sherriff’s Department, the San Bernardino County District Attorney, San Bernardino Police Department, Riverside Police Department, and Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.