In Riverside, California, a recent anti-crime operation along a busy four-mile stretch of Magnolia Avenue resulted in more than 100 arrests. The crackdown, known as “Operation Street Sweeper,” targeted suspected drug offenders who frequented the area between Van Buren Boulevard and Pierce Street. It began in early April and wrapped up last week, with undercover officers buying various drugs, including methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine, PCP, and Psilocybin mushrooms.
Riverside Police Department spokesman, Officer Ryan Railsback, said the operation ended with a three-day arrest spree focused on rounding up 44 individuals identified during the undercover drug purchases. Of those, 33 were arrested and booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center for selling illegal drugs.
The police received support from several other agencies, including the Riverside County Probation Department, the police Metro Unit, and the Post-Release Accountability & Compliance Team. This coordinated effort led to the arrest of 71 additional suspects on charges including parole and probation violations, misdemeanor theft warrants, and being under the influence of controlled substances.
Railsback described one incident during a probation search at a motel where officers found a woman with a 2022 felony drunk driving warrant. She had been involved in a crash that seriously injured two women and a 4-year-old boy. In the same room, police found a man with an outstanding felony warrant for burglary, along with several thousand dollars’ worth of stolen merchandise.
The police spokesman noted that most of the arrested individuals claimed to be homeless, living on the streets or in nearby motels. Following the operation, calls for medical aid and police service along Magnolia Avenue dropped significantly.
Railsback emphasized that the Riverside Police Department will continue to focus on drug-related crime and other safety concerns in the community. “We’ll keep up our enforcement efforts to root out those who are trafficking and selling illicit drugs in our neighborhoods,” he said.
