Fresno Police Foil Area Drug Operation

Four commercial robberies happened in Fresno in the last 24 hours. In several of them clerks were held at gunpoint and thousands of dollars were taken. Detectives say some of these crimes are connected and are often fueled by the drug trade.

Compared to this time last year, the number of robberies in Fresno has nearly doubled. Many of the people arrested say they needed money to support their drug habit. Investigators believe if they can stop the drugs, they can stop these crimes.

53 pounds of meth with a street value of $ 350,000, four guns, and 18 people are now off of Fresno streets thanks to a three month long Fresno Police investigation.

"It started off just by an undercover (narcotics) officer meeting someone somehow who claims they can get pounds from Mexico and it requires intricate work to get inside of that," said Lt. Joe Gomez of the Fresno Police Department.

As investigators work to crackdown on the drug trade in Fresno they say state law and Prop 47 is hindering their ability to remove the criminals fueling it.

"Basically close to legalizing serious drugs like methamphetamine. It’s a misdemeanor now. So we have to site them. They don’t even go to the jail. If the jail was going to release them. They don’t even do that. So that is a big problem," said Lt. Gomez.

This year Fresno residents and business owners have become victims in almost twice as many robberies as last year. The crimes this week serve as more evidence for Investigators who say the crooks are after the same thing.

"They’re always going to want cash because that’s what the dealer they buy from, that’s what they’re going to want. They want Cash," said Lt. Gomez.

Fresno Police leaders say they plan to keep close tabs on those convicted of robbery in the past.

"It may be a good idea to meet these people when they get out of prison if they are paroled to Fresno and let them know who we are. Introduce ourselves and let them know. We are watching you," said Lt. Gomez.

There have been more than 400 robberies already this year in Fresno. Fresno police leaders say this is a major focus for them right now and they’re already developing strategies to address these crimes.