Nine arrested in High Desert gang sweep

Nine people have been arrested in a gang sweep by San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies spanning the High Desert, Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley.

The arrests on Tuesday capped a year-long investigation into an infiltration of the High Desert region by Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley-based gang members trying to set up an illegal drug enterprise. They are believed responsible for myriad crimes including home invasion robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, extortion, kidnapping, witness intimidation and murder.

Among those arrested were Daniel “Danny Boy” Lechuga, 35, Denise “Baby Loca” Hererra, 24, Ivan “Trusty” Montero, 26, Joel “Bouncer” Pompa, 32, Jessica Rodriguez, 36, Regina Chavira, 40, Angel “Bandit” Aranda, 39, Hugo Manzano, 31, and Amanda Ortega, 31.

Karen Hunt, spokeswoman for the Victorville sheriff’s office, said home invasion robberies in Victorville are typically indicative of gang members retaliating against one another for drug deals gone awry.

“I haven’t seen any home robberies in our city that weren’t related to some narcotic or gang activity where somebody owed somebody for drugs,” Hunt said.

Investigators from the Victorville SMASH (San Bernardino Movement Against Street Hoodlums) team uncovered numerous crimes throughout the course of its investigation involving the lowest level drug dealers to the highest ranking gang members, according to a sheriff’s news release.

Tuesday’s sweep was part of a joint effort between the Victorville, Adelanto and Apple Valley sheriff’s stations.