Eight men have been arrested for allegedly carrying out a string of violent crimes across the Bay Area, including 31 homicides, 24 of which occurred in Oakland, police said.

Oakland Assistant Police Chief James Beere said Thursday that the eight men are suspected members of the Oakland Sureños, a criminal street gang.

The arrests came after a series of coordinated raids Wednesday morning by the Oakland Police Department, Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, FBI and U.S. Marshals Service. 

The joint task force executed 10 search warrants, eight in Oakland, one in Modesto and one in Stockton, resulting in the eight arrests.

“These gang members have caused lasting damage to our community for years,” Beere said at a news conference. “Their violent actions have left families mourning and communities forever changed.”

Twelve suspects have been identified in the case, police said: Eight were arrested in Wednesday’s operation, two were already in custody and two remain at large.

The group was also tied to robberies, drug and gun trafficking and assaults, including beatings with baseball bats, Beere said.

Federal prosecutors have filed charges against nine suspects, while three others face state charges. Investigators also recovered two firearms connected to the case.

The nine defendants caught in the federal sting are Marvin Bonilla, 24; Edwin Cano-Merida, 24; Cesar Rolando Lucas-Pablo, 28; Walfer Mendoza-Mendoza, 31; Gonzalo Pablo, 25; Jeronimo Pablo-Carrillo, 41; Mario Pablo-Matias, 24; Raymundo Pablo-Matias, 31; and Carlos Ramiro-Mendoza, 28. The group was charged in an indictment filed Oct. 9.

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee praised the operation in a statement.

“To the families of victims: You have not been forgotten,” Lee said. “This operation represents years of investigative work and coordination across multiple agencies. It demonstrates our shared determination to break the cycles of violence that have devastated too many Oakland families.”

U.S. Attorney Craig Missakian said in a statement that the arrests are an effort to “reclaim our streets from the gangs who threaten our residents.”

“Like people everywhere, the residents of Oakland deserve safe and peaceful neighborhoods, not ones filled with fear and senseless violence,” said Missakian. “The Administration has made it clear that enough is enough. This indictment charges nine members of the Oakland Sureños for their roles in a dangerous criminal enterprise that inflicted harm throughout Oakland.”

The investigation has been led since 2016 by OPD cold case investigator officer Jose Barocio.

This article originally published at Eight arrested in major gang case tied to dozens of Oakland homicides.