Gang, Weapons and Guns Suspects Arrested from McMinn to Marion Counties

Authorities credit the cooperation between a number of different local, state and federal agencies for getting drug weapons and gang suspects off the streets and hopefully keeping them there longer.

The signs of gangs show up all around us.Ben Scott, DEA, "Law enforcement is not asleep. We're not blind to the problems that we have."

Now, some suspects aren't any longer.

Jason Vaughn:suspected of buying weapons for gang members

Perry McCrobey:accused of supplying drugs to young gangsters.

Dominique Collins:identified by police as a member of the crips

Michael Curtis junior: suspected Aryan Nation member.

Just four of dozens of suspects rounded up on drugs or weapons charges.

Russ Dedrick, US Attorney, "We have a no tolerance policy for individuals who chose to become involved in criminal gang activity. That means that if they violate a federal law then we will use that federal law to its fullest extent to bring these people to justice."

From rural areas to our larger cities, gangs leave their mark.The suspects stretched from McMinn to Marion Counties.

The massive arrests should help citizens take back the streets.

Sheriff Bo Burnette, Marion County, "I've always said that drugs brings on property crimes. I'm a firm believer if you take the people off the street that sell drugs that other crimes drop."

Many of the suspects had prior charges.
We found Rashad Tipton in our archives. He was arrested on charges of attempted first degree murder and aggravated assault back in 2007. Now he stands accused of cocaine distribution and faces five to forty years in prison.

Scott, "You're trying to stop the supplies instead of removing somebody that's dealing small amounts and somebody else steps in and take their place, if you can stop the flow coming in and that's what a lot of this information is a lot of this sharing results in that where you can actually attack the source of these narcotics and guns and hopefully stop them that way."

Another example of the scope of the arrests..police tell us one suspect admitted to selling 37 pounds of crack on the streets of Chattanooga...which according to them is an enormous amount.