Sunny Side Gang

Authorities have arrested some of the 17 suspected Saginaw gang members charged in a federal indictment.

The agents seized weapons, various drugs and roughly $35,000 in cash when they executed four federal search warrants early Thursday.

Police said three already are in custody on state charges.

The crackdown is the result of an investigation called "Operation Sunset" targeting the Sunny Side gang, which operates on the city's south side.

SAGINAW (WJRT) - (10/26/07)--A violent Saginaw gang is being described as being in disarray now that 17 more of its alleged members are facing federal indictments.

The Sunnyside Gang. Police say it's Saginaw's predominant gang on the south side of the city, responsible for murders and [...] trafficking.

Forty reputed members have been arrested within the last 15 months.

It is called Operation Sunset. Its goal is to rid the city of Saginaw of the people police say have created a culture of violent crime.

Guns, drugs and cash were all taken from four Saginaw and Bridgeport homes and one Saginaw business Thursday.

It is the result of months of investigation into the criminal activity of the notorious Sunnyside Gang. A t-shirt talks AbOUT loyalty to the gang on one side and on the other. What will happen if there is no loyalty?

One way law enforcement agencies hope to get them out of the city is by charging them in the federal system with [...] trafficking, making for tougher penalties.

In July 2006, 26 people affiliated with the gang were arrested, and 15 of them are either facing or pleading to [...] trafficking charges. But Thursday's arrests moved up the food chain.

The raids came a day after a shooting at a junior high football game injured four people. While not directly related, police say the shooting is an example of the kind of climate gang activity has created in Saginaw.

All participating law enforcement agencies say cooperation is changing the criminal culture