Over 100 arrested during weekslong crime crackdown in Riverside

A weeks-long anti-crime crackdown along a west Riverside corridor netted more than 100 arrests, authorities said Thursday.

Operation "Street Sweeper" focused on suspected drug offenders known to walk a four-mile stretch of Magnolia Avenue, between Van Buren Boulevard to the east and Pierce Street to the west, according to the Riverside Police Department.

The crackdown began in early April and concluded last week, during which undercover officers engaged in purchases of "methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine, PCP and Psilocybin mushrooms," police spokesman Officer Ryan Railsback said.

"At the conclusion of this undercover program, the Narcotics Unit coordinated a three-day arrest operation to locate the 44 suspects who were caught selling illegal drugs," Railsback said. "Of the 44 drug dealers identified, 33 were arrested and booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center for narcotics sales violations."

He said assistance from the department's Post-Release Accountability & Compliance Team, the Riverside County Probation Department, the police Metro Unit and others resulted in "71 other suspects (who) were also arrested and booked into jail."

Their offenses included probation and parole violations, misdemeanor warrants tied to thefts and being under the influence of controlled substances, as well as other alleged crimes, according to Railsback.

"During one of the probation searches conducted at a motel room, a woman was found to be wanted on a 2022 felony drunk driving case, where she struck a vehicle containing two adult women and a 4-year-old boy, all of whom sustained serious injuries from the crash," he said. "Also inside her room was a man with an outstanding felony warrant for burglary, and officers discovered several thousand dollars' worth of stolen merchandise in his possession during their search."

Their identities were not disclosed.

Railsback said nearly all of the arrestees "claimed to be homeless and living on the streets, or in motels along Magnolia Avenue."

"Medical aid and police calls for service along the Magnolia corridor immediately and significantly decreased as a result (of the operation)," the police spokesman said.

"The Riverside Police Department will continue its directed enforcement and efforts to investigate those engaged in the trafficking and sale of illicit drugs within our neighborhoods, amongst other crimes affecting the safety of community members," he said.