EDINBURG – Several wanted gang members were arrested in a multi-agency effort in Hidalgo County.

Fifteen suspected gang members are now in custody. It follows a two-day operation last month originally targeting 50 people.

“Most of the individuals that we identified either had warrants for possession of marijuana, possession of a controlled substance, thefts, some family violence assaults, DWI warrants,” said Hidalgo County Sheriff Eddie Guerra.

Guerra says this was an effort with federal, state and local partners. They were working with intelligence provided by analysts from the Texas transnational intelligence center.

“They go over these individuals and try to find current addresses so that we can find them and locate them within the boundaries of the County of Hidalgo,” added Guerra.

In addition to the 15 arrested, investigators working in three different groups came across seven other people with active warrants.

Guerra explained, “Two of our investigators were in plainclothes and they stopped to buy some refreshments at a local convenience store. While they were inside the convenience store, they were able to witness a theft in progress.”

The suspect turned out to have outstanding warrants in Weslaco and was an affiliate of a gang. He was arrested, too.

Guerra says they hope these arrests lower crime rates.

They'll also hope the intelligence gained from interviewing those arrested can help lead to more arrests in the future.