Eleven arrested in undercover operation aimed at San Fernando Valley arms traffickers

Federal investigators arrested 11 people Wednesday morning in an undercover operation aimed at firearms traffickers in the San Fernando Valley.

Authorities said an undercover agent working during a yearlong operation for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives infiltrated a group that sold drugs and illegal firearms. Undercover agents were able to buy stolen firearms, machine guns and silencers during the investigation, said bureau spokesman Christian Hoffman.

Seven suspects named in indictments handed down last week by a federal grand jury in Los Angeles were arrested on charges related to the illegal sale of firearms and drugs.

Three others named in the indictments remain fugitives. Three people were arrested during the raids on charges unrelated to the investigation and a fourth was arrested later in the day, Hoffman said.

The ATF investigation was done in conjunction with several other state and local agencies, including the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the LAPD.

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