FBI Violent Crime Crackdown Leads To 76 Arrests In San Diego County

SAN DIEGO, CA — The FBI made dozens of arrests in the San Diego area during a three-month crackdown on violent crime, the federal agency announced this week.

As part of a nationwide campaign called "Summer Heat," authorities made 76 arrests between June 24 and Sept. 20 in the San Diego area, according to the FBI.

According to the agency, the operations included the arrest of a violent fugitive from Mexico alleged to have supplied thousands of kilograms of methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine to Southern California traffickers, as well as the seizure of five weapons, 107 kilograms of cocaine and 74 kilograms of meth.

Additionally, the San Diego Field Office helped secure a lengthy prison sentence for a fugitive who allegedly ran a multimillion-dollar criminal empire that lured young women into pornography through lies, coercion and manipulation, and facilitated several other arrests for alleged sexual exploitation or abuse of a minor, officials said. The FBI also helped identify and locate seven children victimized by such crimes.

"The San Diego Field Office works diligently every day towards our mission of protecting the American public," Special Agent in Charge Mark Dargis said. "The results of the FBI's Summer Heat operations are proof that surging resources with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners can, and did, make a significant impact on violent crime in our region. FBI San Diego will continue to aggressively investigate violent criminals while leveraging all available resources to keep our communities safe."

Nationwide, the operation led to 8,629 arrests and the seizure of 2,281 weapons, 44,569 kilograms of cocaine and 421 kilograms of fentanyl. In addition, agents investigating violent crimes against children throughout the country identified or found 1,053 underage victims, according to the FBI.