Heroin Seized, 10 Held in Crackdown on Gang

Ten people were arrested and five pounds of heroin were seized in a crackdown on a violent gang in north San Diego County, federal drug enforcement officials said Monday.

The arrests were the result of an 18-month investigation into the Vista Homeboys, a gang responsible for much of the flourishing heroin trade and violence in the community 40 miles north of San Diego, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. One pound of methamphetamine and two handguns also were seized.

“The shackles of drug intimidation have been removed from the community of Vista,” said Michael S. Vigil, special agent in charge of the DEA’s San Diego office. “When citizens call you in tears thanking you for getting rid of this cancerous cell from your community, I think that really highlights the negative impact they had.”