sixteen arrested in bay area drug gang sweep

Asians behaving badly... Insane Viet Thug edition! No really, that's what they call themselves. Yesterday in the Bay Area, sixteen members of the "Insane Viet Thugs" gang were arrested in a series of drugs raids, where authorities seized a ton of marijuana. Literally: 1 ton of Pot seized during massive gang sweep.

The gang is suspected of selling marijuana and Ecstasy in Alameda, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Contra Costa and Solano counties, attorney general's office spokeswoman Rebecca MacLaren said.

State, local and federal authorities are holding a news conference in Fremont this afternoon to discuss the sweep, which was carried out at 22 locations in Fremont, Union City, Hayward, San Jose, Oakland, Vallejo and San Leandro.

About 1 ton of marijuana was confiscated from five grow houses in Vallejo and Hayward, and more than a dozen firearms were seized - including AK-47s, Uzis and sawed-off shotguns - along with $100,000 in cash, MacLaren said.

Suspected gang leader Luc Tien Tran, 21, of San Leandro, was among those arrested, she said.

The gang also suspected of committing a slew of violent crimes, including a daytime shooting near Fremont City Hall in September. I'm just really amused by the fact that local news broadcasts reporting this story probably got to say "Insane Viet Thugs" on air. More here: 16 arrests in eight-city Bay Area drug gang sweep.