Operation Gremlin Riderz is making the streets of South LA a little bit safer (Twitpic/Erika Aguilar)

On Tuesday, one of Los Angeles's most violent and powerful drug cartels just lost nearly 50 members thanks to a massive sweep by federal and local investigators. 

The sucess of Operation Gremlin Riderz led to dozens of gun seizures as well as arrests.

With a drug operation that stretched a star as Louisiana, members of the Five Deuce Broadway Gangster Crips are being held on accusations of murder, robbery and selling drugs over the past two decades. 

READ MORE: Gangs Not In Your Backyard? Think Again.

"They've terrorized the South Broadway corridor for generations," said Los Angeles Police Capt. David Kowalski at a news conference on Tuesday following the sweep.

The three-year investigation focused on a South L.A. subset of the gang that claims the neighborhoods around the intersection of South Broadway and 52nd Street. 

Read the full story here. 

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