DAPO plays integral role in multi-agency operation
CDCR Division of Adult Parole Operations (DAPO) parole agents, as part of the Fresno Multi-Agency Gang Enforcement Consortium (MAGEC) that included local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, executed “Operation No-Fly Zone” earlier this month, targeting Fresno and Central Valley gangs responsible for significant violence in the area.
The investigation into the Flyboys and Hoover 107 criminal street gangs concluded with the takedown of 37 targets, 42 search warrants for multiple murders, conspiracy to murder, gang shootings, pimping/pandering, and street terrorism.
“DAPO agents are out there working hard to make our communities safer,” DAPO Director Guillermo Viera Rosa said. “I recognize our dedicated agents in Fresno, and across the state, for their professionalism in coordination with other law enforcement agencies, their skills in tracking down public safety threats, and their sacrifice for doing it day and night.”
Active parolee Leonard Smith was among those arrested. Smith was employed with Fresno’s Advance Peace. The program is dedicated to work with gang members to reduce cyclical and retaliatory gun violence with the goal of stopping gang violence. The Fresno parole office served as the command center for the operation which included: Fresno Police Department, Fresno County Sheriff’s Department, Fresno County District Attorney’s Office, United States Attorney’s Office Eastern District of California, Federal Bureau of Investigation, California Department of Justice, Bureau of Investigation, California Highway Patrol SOU and the State of California Department of Justice Human Trafficking Team.
Fresno agents honored for reducing crime
“Fresno Gang GPS Parole Agent Michael Denney, assigned to MAGEC, was an instrumental partner with Operation No-Fly Zone,” said DAPO District Administrator Peter Bedrosian. “Parole Agent Michael Denney, involved since the early stages of the investigation, provided crucial intelligence to MAGEC and assisted homicide and street violence detectives with crime scene analysis via GPS.”
The Fresno Bee reported that during a two-year period from April 11, 2020, to April 11, 2022, gang members and associates of the 107 Hoover gang took part in a series of drive-by shootings and murders that had the city on edge with gun violence.
The massive crackdown and investigation took five months to complete. As a result, 42 suspected gang members and associates in 19 separate cases were arraigned at Fresno County Superior Court on April 19.
By Dana Simas, CDCR Press Secretary
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