Fourteen individuals, including one minor, were arrested after the Weslaco Police Department shut down an illegal racing operation on Thursday night.

The 14 unidentified individuals were arrested in the parking lot of a shopping center on Westgate Drive and frontage road. 

According to Weslaco police Chief Joel Rivera, the 14 individuals were arrested on charges of reckless driving, racing on a public highway or roadway and deadly conduct.

“This is very aggressive enforcement action that we will be taking to curb this issue,” Rivera said.

Rivera says his officers worked with the Texas Department of Public Safety and deputies with the constable’s office on this sting operations. 

Authorities also gave out 22 citations. 

Rivera says there are multiple “car meetup groups” in Weslaco and across the Valley that authorities are looking into. 

As part of the crackdown, authorities are also looking at the modifications drivers are making. 

“They modify their cars in such a manner that they're no longer street legal,” Rivera explained. “And if they're not street legal, they cannot be a roadway."

Gov. Greg Abbott previously signed two bills that allows law enforcement to confiscate cars involved in street takeovers. 

Rivera said that's a strategy they'll use in their crackdown.

“The state law allows us to seize vehicles,” Rivera said. “So moving forward, we will have regular enforcement action for these offenses."