Law Enforcement

SAN FRANCISCO -- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris issued the following statement on the decision to overturn the rape conviction of Julio Morales by the 2nd District Court of Appeal:

"The evidence is clear that this case involved a nonconsensual assault that fits within the general understanding of what constitutes rape. This law is arcane and I will work with the Legislature to fix it."

SACRAMENTO -- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced 2,000 firearms were seized from individuals legally barred from possessing them, including persons determined to be mentally unstable and those with active restraining orders.

“California has clear laws determining who can possess firearms based on their threat to public safety,” said Attorney General Harris. “Enforcing those laws is crucial because we have seen the terrible tragedies that occur when guns are in the wrong hands. This program is an important part of our law enforcement work and I thank all of the agents who work so hard every day to keep our communities safe.”

In 2012, 33 Department of Justice agents used the Armed Prohibited Persons System (APPS) database to identify individuals prohibited from owning guns, including convicted felons, individuals with active restraining orders, and those determined to be mentally unstable. In total, DOJ agents seized 2,033 firearms, 117,000 rounds of ammunition, and 11,072 illegal high capacity magazines. These numbers include seizures conducted from January 1 to November 30, 2012.

The majority of firearms were seized during two 6-week sweeps. The first statewide sweep targeted individuals prohibited because of mental health issues and the second focused on people with legally registered assault weapons who were later prohibited from owning them.

In 2011, Attorney General Harris sponsored legislation to increase funding for the Department of Justice’s APPS program through the use of existing regulatory fees collected by gun dealers. Senate Bill 819 passed in June 2011 and became law on January 1, 2012.

The APPS database cross-references five databases to find people who legally purchased handguns and registered assault weapons since 1996 with people who are prohibited from owning or possessing firearms. The database was completed in November 2006, and the first statewide sweep was conducted in 2007.

Since Attorney General Harris took office, there have been three statewide APPS sweeps. The Department of Justice leads these efforts with the support of local law enforcement agencies.

California is the first and only state in the nation to establish an automated system for tracking handgun and assault weapon owners who might fall into a prohibited status.

Photos of weapons seized during this past year’s APPS sweeps are attached to the electronic version of this release at: http://oag.ca.gov/news

LOS ANGELES -- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today released The State of Human Trafficking in California 2012. The report outlines the growing prevalence of the crime of human trafficking in the state, the increasing involvement of sophisticated transnational gangs in perpetrating the crime and the modern technologies that traffickers use to facilitate it.

Attorney General Harris released the report at the Human Trafficking Leadership Symposium, hosted by the University of Southern California in partnership with Humanity United. Leaders from law enforcement, victim service groups, non-government organizations and other groups convened to discuss the report and consider best practices in the fight against forced labor and sex trafficking. U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis and Mexico Attorney General Marisela Morales Ibáñez provided keynote remarks at the symposium.

“Human trafficking is a growing threat because criminal organizations have determined it is a low-risk, high-reward crime. We are here to change that calculus,” said Attorney General Kamala D. Harris. “We must counter the ruthlessness of human traffickers with our resolve, innovation and collaboration. Law enforcement must continue to get trained, gather data and work to shut down the human trafficking operations in our state.”

California law enforcement and service providers have committed to cracking down on this rapidly-evolving crime. The report finds that from mid-2010 to mid-2012, California’s nine regional anti-human trafficking task forces provided training to 25,591 law enforcement personnel, prosecutors, victim service providers and other first responders. During the same period, the task forces identified 1,277 victims, initiated 2,552 investigations, and arrested 1,798 individuals for the crime. California – the nation’s most populous and diverse state and the world’s ninth largest economy – is one of the nation’s top four destination states for trafficking human beings. Despite public perception, 72 percent of trafficked human beings in the state cite the United States as their country of origin, with the remainder coming from foreign countries.

The report also describes the evolving challenges California faces in addressing this crime, which has become a $32 billion-a-year global industry. Among the key findings in the report, organized criminal networks and street gangs are increasingly responsible for trafficking persons into and throughout the state. The prevailing wisdom among these criminals is that human trafficking is more profitable and has a lower risk of being detected than drug trafficking. In addition, new innovations in technology make it possible for traffickers to recruit victims and perpetrate their crimes online. However, technology is also key to successful enforcement as the Internet, social media and mobile devices provide new avenues for identifying perpetrators, reaching out to victims and raising public awareness about human trafficking.

Attorney General Harris earlier this year convened a Human Trafficking Work Group to update the first Human Trafficking in California report, released in 2007 by the California Alliance to Combat Trafficking and Slavery Task Force, as a result of the state’s first anti-trafficking law (AB 22, Lieber). Attorney General Harris was a co-sponsor of AB22 and participated in the 2007 Task Force as San Francisco’s District Attorney and the representative of the California District Attorney’s Association. The 2012 Work Group included more than 100 representatives of state, local and federal law enforcement, state government agencies, victim service providers, nonprofit groups, technology companies and educational institutions. The State of Human Trafficking in California 2012 reflects the Work Group discussions held during three day-long meetings in Sacramento, San Francisco and Los Angeles, as well as supplemental research and investigation by the California Department of Justice.

Releasing the report on the current state of human trafficking is one of the steps Attorney General Harris has taken to combat the crime. In October, Attorney General Harris and Mexico Attorney General Marisela Morales Ibáñez signed an accord to help expand prosecutions and secure convictions of criminals who engage in the trafficking of human beings. In June, Attorney General Harris partnered with the Polaris Project and Yahoo! to help get human trafficking victims access to resources via sponsored search results displayed to potential victims of the crime. In 2011, Attorney General Harris joined the National Association of Attorneys General in calling on Backpage.com to shut down its adult services section, which had been used to facilitate sex trafficking.

Attorney General Harris also sponsored two new anti-trafficking laws, Assembly Bill 2466, by Bob Blumenfield (D-San Fernando Valley), which ensures that criminal defendants involved in human trafficking will not dispose of assets that would otherwise be provided as restitution to victims; and Senate Bill 1133, by Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), which expands the list of assets that a human trafficker must forfeit and provides a formula for using those resources to help victims of human trafficking. Both laws will take effect on January 1, 2013.

Key Highlights from The State of Human Trafficking in California 2012 

• From mid-2010 to mid-2012, California’s nine regional human trafficking task forces identified 1,277 victims, initiated 2,552 investigations, and arrested 1,798 individuals.

• In the same two-year period, California’s task forces provided training to 25,591 law enforcement personnel, prosecutors, victim service providers, and other first responders. Several non-governmental organizations have also trained judicial officers, airport personnel, social service providers, pro bono attorneys, and retail businesses, among others. The variety of individuals who have been trained underscores the perva­siveness of human trafficking and the important role that governmental and non-govern­mental actors play in detecting trafficking and assisting victims.

• 72 percent of human trafficking victims whose country of origin was identified by California’s task forces are American. The public perception is that human trafficking victims are from other countries, but data from California’s task forces indicate that the vast majority are Americans.

• Labor trafficking is under-reported and under-investigated as compared to sex trafficking. 56 percent of victims who received services through California’s task forces were sex trafficking victims. Yet, data from other sources indicate that labor trafficking is 3.5 times as prevalent as sex trafficking worldwide.

• Local and transnational gangs are increasingly trafficking in human beings be­cause it is a low-risk and high, renewable profit crime. It is critical for federal, state, and local law enforcement and labor regulators to collaborate across jurisdictions to disrupt and dismantle these increasingly sophisticated, organized criminal networks.

• A vertical prosecution model run outside routine vice operations can help law enforcement better protect victims and improve prosecutions. Fostering expertise about human trafficking within a law enforcement agency and handling these cases outside routine vice operations can prevent erroneously viewing trafficking victims as perpetrators.

• Early and frequent collaboration between law enforcement and victim service providers helps victims and prosecutors. Victims who receive immediate and compre­hensive assistance are more likely to help bring their traffickers to justice.

• Traffickers are reaching more victims and customers by recruiting and advertising online. Traffickers use online advertising and Internet-enabled cell phones to access a larger client base and create a greater sense of anonymity. Law enforcement needs the training and tools to investigate trafficking online.

• Technology is available to better identify, reach, and serve victims. Tools like search-term-triggered messages, website widgets, and text short codes enable groups to find victims online, connect them with services, and encourage the general public to report human trafficking.

• Alert consumers need more tools to leverage their purchasing power to reduce the demand for trafficking. Public and private organizations are just beginning to create web-based and mobile tools to increase public awareness and educate consumers about how to help combat human trafficking.

Human trafficking involves the recruitment, smuggling, transporting, harboring, buying, or selling of a person for purposes of exploitation, prostitution, domestic servitude, sweatshop labor, migrant work, agricultural labor, peonage, bondage or involuntary servitude. While human trafficking often involves the smuggling of human beings across international borders, numerous Americans are trafficked around the United States ever year. Human trafficking strips people, especially women and children, of their freedom and violates our nation’s promise that every person in the United States is guaranteed basic human rights.

For more information on the trafficking of human beings and to view the report online, go to www.oag.ca.gov/human-trafficking.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris this week began formally notifying scores of mobile application developers and companies that they are not in compliance with California privacy law.

The companies were given 30 days to conspicuously post a privacy policy within their app that informs users of what personally identifiable information about them is being collected and what will be done with that private information. Letters will be sent out to up to 100 non-compliant apps at this time, starting with those who have the most popular apps available on mobile platforms.

"Protecting the privacy of online consumers is a serious law enforcement matter," said Attorney General Kamala D. Harris. "We have worked hard to ensure that app developers are aware of their legal obligations to respect the privacy of Californians, but it is critical that we take all necessary steps to enforce California’s privacy laws."

The letters are the first step in taking legal action to enforce the California Online Privacy Protection Act (Simitian), which requires commercial operators of online services, including mobile and social apps, which collect personally identifiable information from Californians to conspicuously post a privacy policy. Privacy policies are an important safeguard for consumers. Privacy policies promote transparency in how companies collect, use, and share personal information. Companies can face fines of up to $2,500 each time a non-compliant app is downloaded.

This action by Attorney General Harris follows an agreement she forged among the seven leading mobile and social app platforms to improve privacy protections for millions of users around the globe who use apps on their smartphones, tablets, and other electronic devices. Those platforms – Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, and Research in Motion – agreed to privacy principles designed to bring the industry in line with California law requiring mobile apps that collect personal information to have a privacy policy. The agreement allows consumers the opportunity to review an app’s privacy policy before they download the app rather than after, and offers consumers a consistent location for an app’s privacy policy on the application-download screen in the platform store.

The California Online Privacy Protection Act is one of the privacy laws that the Privacy Enforcement and Protection Unit is charged with enforcing. Created in 2012, the Privacy Unit’s mission is to enforce federal and state privacy laws regulating the collection, retention, disclosure, and destruction of private or sensitive information by individuals, organizations, and the government. This includes laws relating to cyber privacy, health privacy, financial privacy, identity theft, government records and data breaches.

The February 2012 press release announcing the apps agreement can be found here. The June 2012 press release announcing that Facebook joined the apps agreement can be found here.

A sample non-compliance letter is attached.

SACRAMENTO -- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced the arrest of two individuals each charged with 14 counts of forgery or counterfeiting of government identification cards and conspiracy. The two individuals operated in a counterfeit identification ring that sold federal immigration documents (green cards), California identification cards and driver’s licenses, social security cards and passports.

Laurel Velasquez, 30, and Pedro Izehuatl, 45, of Sacramento were arrested on Wednesday after a four-month investigation by the California Department of Justice eCrime Unit and Special Crimes Unit. During the undercover operation, Velasquez and Izehuatl sold California Department of Justice Special Agents counterfeit driver’s licenses, green cards and a social security card.

In July 2012, the California Department of Justice received information about a potential counterfeit identification document ring and initiated an investigation which resulted in the identification of Laurel Velasquez as a seller of counterfeit items. Special agents subsequently conducted undercover operations from July to October 2012, during which they purchased dozens of counterfeit federal green cards, California driver’s licenses and a social security card from Velasquez for $100 each. The counterfeit green cards purchased were for individuals purported to be from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt, Russia and China.

Special agents were able to determine that the counterfeit items were being manufactured by another individual and on several occasions special agents observed this other individual meeting with the seller just prior to the counterfeit items being sold.

On October 24, DOJ agents served search warrants on the seller’s residence and the suspected manufacturer’s residence. During the service of these search warrants, sophisticated equipment used to create counterfeit identity documents was seized and Velasquez and Izehuatl were arrested. Both were booked into the Sacramento County Jail. Arraignment of both individuals is scheduled for Monday in Sacramento County Superior Court.

During this investigation, the California Department of Justice worked with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The eCrime Unit investigates and prosecutes identity theft crimes, cyber crimes and other crimes involving the use of technology.

The complaint is attached to the electronic version of this release at http://oag.ca.gov/news.

LOS ANGELES -- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced the arrest of two suspects who have been charged with grand theft, burglary, unlawful collection of advance fees, tax evasion and conspiracy in a wide-ranging mortgage fraud scheme.  Both suspects also face special enhancements for excessive taking and aggravated white-collar crime for losses to victims exceeding $350,000.

The arrest declaration alleges that Joana Sosa, age 54 of Gardena, and Zoila Ortega, age 31 of Gardena, ran a criminal mortgage fraud enterprise mainly against Spanish-speaking victims and targeted members of their own Spanish-speaking community.  Many of the victims were often referred by other family and friends.

“As the mortgage crisis continues, we are seeing a troubling rise in fraud that targets struggling homeowners, including those with limited English language skills,” said Attorney General Harris.  The predators targeting these victims are ruthless, and I am proud of our prosecutors and special agents for helping to bring them to justice.”

Joana Sosa and Zoila Ortega are charged with 41 criminal felony counts.  If convicted, they each face 36 years in prison, including fines and restitution.  They were booked at the Los Angeles County Jail and remain in custody at this time.

From 2008 to 2010, Sosa and Ortega charged their victims thousands of dollars in up-front fees and monthly payments, promising to protect their victims from eviction by purchasing their property from their lender and becoming their new "lender." Sosa and Ortega promised the victims a modified loan they could afford with the opportunity to buy back their home in the future.  No services were rendered by Sosa and Ortega, resulting in consumers being evicted from their homes.  Additionally, Sosa and Ortega instructed several consumers to stop making their mortgage payment, and in some instances, to stop paying their bills all together.  Consumers were told this would allow them to qualify for a loan modification.  Over the last three years, Sosa did not file corporation income taxes. Many of the victims only spoke Spanish and were instructed to sign contracts in English.

In November 2011, the Attorney General’s Office launched an investigation into this matter based on information received by the Los Angeles County Department of Consumer Affairs Real Estate Fraud Unit.   Agencies that assisted in this investigation include:  California Department of Justice Special Agents with the Mortgage Fraud Strike Force, the Franchise Tax Board and the Los Angeles County Department of Consumer Affairs Real Estate Fraud Unit.

The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General David Peyman, who is part of the Attorney General’s Mortgage Fraud Strike Force, which was formed in May 2011 to investigate and prosecute crimes related to mortgage, foreclosure and real estate fraud.

Copies of the complaint and arrest declaration are attached to this release at www.oag.ca.gov

SACRAMENTO -- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced that the California Department of Justice has been awarded a prestigious federal grant to assist state law enforcement officials in addressing intellectual property crime.

The $200,000 grant will be used to investigate and prosecute intellectual property crimes such as piracy and for the development of training programs for California law enforcement officials and prosecutors to improve the investigation and prosecution of intellectual property theft.

Intellectual property crime is the taking of someone’s idea, such as music, a logo or a unique name, as well as the theft of any profitable new way of doing something. In recent years, intellectual property crime has shifted from the selling of goods in public places to the selling of Internet-based products.

"As technology continues to develop rapidly, thieves have moved their illegal activities to computers and the Internet," said Attorney General Harris. "This grant will support my goal of being at the forefront of investigating these crimes and assuring that law enforcement officials throughout the state are well-equipped to bring those involved in intellectual property crimes to justice."

Pirated intellectual property was once only available as a hard good – like a counterfeit DVD or Louis Vuitton bag that was only available on a street corner or at a swap meet. Now these goods are available at on-line market places or available on-line as a download. In these cases, revenue is generated not only from the sale of the pirated material, but also the advertising revenue generated by the Internet traffic that trades or views their stolen goods.

"California’s economy thrives on the intellectual property of artists, creators, inventors, authors, software designers, engineers and so many other innovators," Harris said. "It is critical in California that we protect their creations from theft, misappropriation and counterfeiting."

Because traditional law enforcement jurisdictions do not exist on the Internet, it has grown increasingly difficult for law enforcement officials to determine which agencies are responsible for investigating Internet-based intellectual property crime.

The Department of Justice’s eCrime Unit applied for the $200,000 federal grant to help fund the California Intellectual Property Theft Enforcement Program.

Last year, Attorney General Harris created the eCrime Unit to identify and prosecute identity theft crimes, cybercrimes and other crimes involving the use of technology.

For additional information on intellectual property crime please visit: http://oag.ca.gov/ecrime.

SACRAMENTO -- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris announced the arrest Thursday of four suspects who have been charged with securities fraud, conspiracy and elder abuse for operating a Ponzi scheme that bilked dozens of investors of over $2.3 million.

The arrest declaration alleges that Gold Country Lenders, a real estate company in Grass Valley, engaged in a pattern of theft and fraud-related crimes for more than eight years. Investor funds were used to make interest payments to earlier investors or for projects in which the company’s owner had a financial interest.

"These defendants exploited their personal relationships with these victims and emptied their bank accounts," Attorney General Harris said. "Schemes that target the elderly are especially heinous, which is why prosecuting fraud and elder abuse needs to remain priorities for law enforcement."

Philip Lester, 65, and Ellen Lester, 65, who are married, surrendered to custody, and Susan Laferte, 58, and Jonathan Blinder, 58, were arrested on Thursday in Nevada County.

Philip Lester, CEO of Gold Country Lenders, and Laferte, the firm’s CFO, are being charged with 66 felony counts of elder abuse, securities fraud and conspiracy. Laferte is Philip Lester’s sister. They were booked at the the Nevada County Jail, with bail set at $600,000 each.

Ellen Lester is being charged with two felony counts of conspiracy and securities fraud and was booked at the Nevada County Jail with bail set at $50,000. Blinder is charged with four felony counts of securities fraud and was booked at the Nevada County Jail and released on bail.

From January 2003 to June 2011, Gold Country Lenders sold securities on specific real estate development projects, promising investors annual returns of 8 to 12 percent. These investments were supposedly secured by a first or second deed of trust on the property. In fact, some of the promised deeds of trust were never recorded, while others were recorded but subordinate to other loans, or were diluted by the repackaging and overselling of shares.

In October 2010, the Attorney General’s Office launched an investigation in response to complaints filed by numerous investors.

The arrest affidavit alleges that investors were not told that Philip Lester had a partnership interest in some of the development projects he sold to investors, or that some of the land targeted for development had significant toxic waste issues. Many of the victims are elderly and had known and trusted the defendants for many years.

Unbeknownst to investors, their investment funds were used to make interest payments to earlier investors or for purposes other than the development project they had invested in. For example, victims’ funds were diverted to purchase and operate the Auburn Valley Country Club, a prestigious golf course and clubhouse where the Lesters resided.

Agencies that assisted in serving today’s arrest warrants include the Grass Valley Police Department, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Corporations.

"Protecting consumers and investors is at the forefront of the Department of Corporation’s mission," said California Corporations Commissioner Jan Lynn Owen. "The Department of Corporations works diligently to strongly enforce and uphold California’s financial laws to the fullest extent."

The Attorney General Office’s Special Crimes Unit conducted the investigation. The case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Mortgage Fraud Strike Force, which was formed in May 2011 to investigate and prosecute crimes related to mortgage, foreclosure and real estate fraud.

Copies of the complaint and arrest declaration are attached to the electronic version of this release at www.oag.ca.gov.

MORENO VALLEY -- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced the arraignment of two men who were arrested in possession of 18 pounds of methamphetamine, as well as four handguns, three assault rifles and a .50 caliber sniper rifle. The individuals are believed to be associates of the La Familia cartel in Michoacan, Mexico.

“The fight against transnational gangs continues to be a priority for the California Department of Justice,” said Attorney General Kamala D. Harris. “These arrests are another example of the hard work and dedication of our agents in the continued effort to stop the trafficking of guns, drugs and human beings throughout our state.”

Jesus Espinoza, 25, of San Diego and Jose Manuel Guizar-Gaytan, 25, of Mexico, were arraigned today in Riverside County Superior Court on two felony counts each of possession of methamphetamine for sale and possession of methamphetamine with a loaded firearm and three felony counts each of possession of an assault weapon, possession of an assault rifle and possession of any .50 BMG (sniper) rifle. Both defendants pled not guilty, and bail was set at $500,000 for each.

The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office will prosecute the case because the defendants were arrested in the City of Moreno Valley. The investigation was conducted by the Attorney General’s Inland Crackdown Allied Task Force (INCA).

On September 14, INCA agents received information about a home in Moreno Valley that contained methamphetamine and weapons. INCA agents, along with deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, contacted Espinoza and Guizar-Gaytan at the residence. INCA agents obtained a search warrant for the residence, two vehicles and a public storage locker associated with the location. As a result of the search warrant, agents seized approximately 18 pounds of methamphetamine with a street value of more than  $832,000, four handguns, three assault rifles and a .50 caliber sniper rifle. Both men were arrested without incident and booked into the Riverside County Jail.

These arrests are the latest in a series of successful DOJ-led investigations targeting transnational gang crime across California. Earlier this month DOJ agents seized $1.1 million worth of methamphetamine from the Sinaloa Cartel (http://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-kamala-d-harris-announces-seizure-11-million-worth).

The California Department of Justice provides a wide range of investigative skills and forensic resources. INCA is one of 28 state Department of Justice-led task forces that work with local enforcement partners to respond to our state’s growing gang and drug trafficking problems.

The Attorney General’s INCA Task Force is comprised of: the Beaumont Police Department, the California Department of Justice, the Calexico Police Department, the California Alcoholic Beverage Control, the California Highway Patrol, the Corona Police Department, the San Bernardino Police Department, the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, the Riverside Police Department, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department and the Murrieta Police Department.

Photos of the guns and methamphetamine seized are attached to the electronic version of this press release at http://oag.ca.gov/news.

RIVERSIDE -- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced the arraignment of four men who attempted to sell 25 pounds of methamphetamine with a street value of more than $1.1 million to an undercover task force agent. The narcotics are believed to have been imported from the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico.

“Transnational gangs are a real and present danger in California and a priority for Department of Justice agents,” said Attorney General Kamala D. Harris. “We must continue and extend our crackdown on these transnational gangs and their trafficking of guns, drugs and human beings throughout our state.”

Juan Martin Ramirez, 22, of Inglewood, Carlos Javier Martinez-Sequeira, 43, and Jose Manuel Chaidez, 25, of Hawthorne, and Jesus Manuel Landeros, 42, of Phoenix, Arizona were arraigned today in Riverside County Superior Court on two felony counts of possession of methamphetamine for sale and transportation of a controlled substance.  All four defendants pled not guilty, and bail was set for each at $1 million.

The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office will prosecute the case because the defendants were arrested in the City of Corona, where they allegedly sold methamphetamine to an undercover agent.  The investigation was conducted by the Attorney General’s Inland Crackdown Allied Task Force (INCA). 

On September 12, 2012, an INCA undercover agent negotiated the purchase of 25 pounds of methamphetamine with a street value of $1,135,000 from a transnational gang.  The four men delivered the methamphetamine to the awaiting undercover officer in a hotel parking lot in Corona.  All four men were arrested without incident and booked into the Riverside County Jaill.

These arrests are the latest in a series of successful DOJ-led investigations targeting transnational gang crime across California. In October, DOJ agents seized $5 million worth of cocaine from the Guadalajara cartel (http://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-kamala-d-harris-announces-seizure-5-million-worth-cocaine).  In November 2011, the INCA Task Force seized $18 million worth of cocaine from the Sinaloa cartel (http://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-kamala-d-harris-announces-seizure-18-million-worth-cocaine).

In responding to transnational gang crime in California, the state Department of Justice provides a wide range of investigative skills and forensic resources. INCA is one of 28 Department of Justice-led task forces that works with local enforcement partners to respond to our state’s growing gang and drug trafficking problems.

The Attorney General’s INCA Task Force is comprised of:  the Beaumont Police Department, the California Department of Justice/Bureau of Investigation, the Calexico Police Department, the California Alcoholic Beverage Control, the California Highway Patrol, the Corona Police Department, the San Bernardino Police Department, the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, the Riverside Police Department, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department and the Murrieta Police Department.