Nearly 2 Dozen Arrested in 3-Month Undercover Narcotics Operation in Riverside

Riverside police Tuesday announced the arrests of nearly two dozen suspects in a three-month undercover narcotics investigation.

The operation stemmed from numerous complaints from residents, business owners and community groups, said Riverside police Chief Sergio Diaz.

At least half of those arrested were on some sort of supervised release, said Riverside police Detective Chris Williams, who spearheaded the operation. One of the suspects had been released only two hours before his arrest, according to Williams. Other suspects were on parole for homicide, criminal threats and assault with a deadly weapon.

The investigation targeting street-level drug dealers began in March after Riverside police received complaints about blatant sales of narcotics, Diaz said.

Over the next couple of months, Riverside police utilized undercover officers on 29 separate transactions and identified 26 suspects. On May 23, warrants were issued and 23 suspects were arrested on suspicion of narcotics violations. Three remain outstanding.

"This is not an activity that Riverside will tolerate and we put drug dealers on notice that our city is not the place for you," said Councilman Mike Gardner. "We will find you, we will arrest you and we will put you in jail."

Williams reminded residents that they, too, can report crimes by calling 311 or via the "311 Riverside" phone app.