Kings Sheriff's Department and local law enforcement agencies, put the squeeze on local street gangs in major Valley operation

Of the warrants, 11 search warrants were served in the City of Hanford, two in the unincorporated area of Kings County, 5 in the City of Visalia, and one each in Fresno, Delano, Corcoran, Lemoore, and Tulare.

According to Kings County Sheriff David Robinson, this unique operation began in 2019 due to the rise in crime associated with the Crip criminal street gangs. The county’s Major Crimes Task Force took on the assignment along with the Hanford Police Department, Lemoore Police Department, Kings County Probation, DOJ Special Investigations Unit, and the California Highway Patrol.

According to Sheriff Robinson, "Operation Moovin’ Out" resulted in the arrest of 62 suspects, with 46 of these arrests occurring on Thursday in the early hours. Some charges ranged from homicide, attempted homicide, narcotics sales, human trafficking, pimping, pandering, fraud, and money laundering.

“This is what we need in our county: accountability,” Robinson said in a sheriff’s office packed with media and law enforcement officials that included the Kings County District Attorney, Sarah Hacker, Hanford Police Chief Parker Sever, and other state and local officials.

“We definitely saw an uptick with gangs in Hanford,” added the sheriff. However, he said, "There is more work that needs to be done.”

 “Today was a big win,” echoed Hacker.

During the course of the investigation, 34 firearms were seized in total, with 14 being seized on Thursday. A functioning pipe bomb was also located and was collected by a local bomb squad. According to law enforcement officials, over $225,000 in cash was confiscated and obtained through fraud, money laundering, and drug sales. Over $555,000 from bank accounts were frozen due to fraud.

Three vehicles, a motorcycle, and $120,000 in jewelry were also seized. These items were suspected as part of the fraud and money laundering scheme, stated the Kings County Sheriff’s Department.   

“The success of this operation will have a positive impact on our Kings County community as well as our neighboring Counties. We believe the arrests made throughout this investigation will help to suppress criminal activity and keep our citizens safe,” stated a Kings County Sheriff’s Department release.

Law enforcement officials stated that no one was injured during the service of these warrants.

Organizations involved in the operation included Kings County SWAT, Central Valley Regional SWAT, Kings County District Attorney Investigators Team, Tulare County SWAT, Kern County SWAT, Visalia PD SWAT, Tulare PD SWAT, Fresno PD SWAT, Madera County Regional SWAT, Clovis PD SWAT, Merced County SWAT, Porterville PD SWAT, Bakersfield PD SWAT, DOJ Firearms Teams, and members of CDCR Tactical Team.