DETROIT (WWJ) -- Members and associates of a violent Detroit street gang are facing a long list of charges.
Following a three-year investigation, authorities have unveiled a 172-page indictment involving members of the Vice Lords in Detroit.
Saima Mohsin, the Acting U.S. Attorney in Detroit, tells WWJ that the indictment includes drug and firearms charges, and is among the largest racketeering conspiracy cases in Detroit’s federal court history.
"There are a number of activities that are alleged to have occurred here in Detroit,” Mohsin said. “There are about 20 acts of violence that are specified in the indictment.”
40 individuals have been charged, and 38 are currently in custody, as authorities attempt to stem the rise of gun violence in Detroit. The city has seen non-fatal shootings rise by almost 88% since 2019, while the number of homicides climbed close to 48%.
The Vice Lords was founded in the 1960s and is overseen by a governing board that is empowered to order hits on people.
There are reportedly over 700 members in the state of Michigan alone.
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