FRESNO, Calif. – A massive gang-busting operation in Fresno County involving hundreds of law enforcement agents ended this week. Authorities say “Operation Shock Collar” resulted in federal charges for 38 alleged gang members and state charges for dozens of others.
In a press release, the U.S. Department of Justice said law enforcement seized weapons, ammunition, methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine. They arrested 89 criminal street gang members and associates and charged them with state and federal crimes.
The defendants were allegedly members of “Huron Dog Life,” “Coalinga Dog Life,” and the “San Joaquin Ruthless Perro” factions of the Bulldog street gang. Most charges are related to firearms, drugs and conspiracy to commit murder.
Some suspects involved in the widespread investigation were inmates at the time of the alleged crimes. Officials allege the inmates attempted to smuggle drugs into jail or prison inside body cavities or through holes they punctured into walls. The DOJ also alleges they coordinated these smuggling attempts used contraband phones to coordinate these smuggling attempts.
At a press conference in Fresno on Friday, Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni said the people incarcerated in Fresno County jail are “very creative.”
“They're very good at concealing [the holes] and they found that as an alternative way to potentially bring narcotics into the facility through very small holes,” he said. “We've probably prevented people from suffering drug overdoses within the Fresno County Jail because those drugs were never delivered to them in custody,” he added.
Questions still remain around how incarcerated individuals were able to coordinate so much alleged illegal activity from behind bars, and how they were ultimately found.
When KVPR asked Kim Sanchez, Chief of the Fresno and Bakersfield offices of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, about the apparent ringleader, Ignacio “Giddy” Sanchez, who was incarcerated in Salinas Valley State Prison at the time of his arrest, Sanchez said “there was a lot of coordination done from behind prison walls” and abruptly ended the press conference.
A handful of women and even minors are among those who have been arrested. Four suspects wanted in the operation are still on the loose.
The operation was massive, according to Sid Patel, Special Agent In Charge of the FBI’s Sacramento field office. He told members of the media it began in early 2024 and involved “more than 550 agents, officers, intelligence analysts, translators, prosecutors, and a cadre of support personnel, representing more than 25 law enforcement agencies.”
“We're proud to be a part of this team at the California DOJ to have collaborated with our federal and our local partners on making Operation Shock Collar the success that it is,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said at the press conference.
Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp said rural areas are especially vulnerable to gangs. “And I want the people in the rural communities to know that you are not forgotten,” she said.
Zanoni and Smittcamp also used the podium to criticize lawmakers in Sacramento for a spate of recent laws intended to reform the criminal justice system – including Assembly Bill 109, also known as the California Public Safety Realignment Act of 2011.
“When AB 109 took effect, we had between 150 and 160,000 people incarcerated in state prisons. Today…CDCR claims there's 92,000 people in custody,” Zanoni said. “We know that crime really hasn't gone down. What we've done is we've put the responsibility of this on the local sheriffs without giving them funding or resources to keep individuals in custody.”
