33 members of various gangs are arrested in Northeast Ohio

PAINESVILLE, Ohio (AP) -- Federal and local law-enforcement officers arrested 33 people, including members of the Aryan Brotherhood white supremacist gang and Pagans motorcycle gang, in a six-county sweep across Northeast Ohio on Thursday.
Those arrested and another 10 suspects who were still sought on warrants will face various weapons and drug charges, according to Pat Berarducci, a spokesman for the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The agency enforces federal weapons laws.
The extent of the operation will be outlined today at a news conference at the Lake County sheriff's office in Painesville.
Berarducci said the arrests by 14 teams totaling about 125 officers stemmed from a 20-month undercover operation. Thirteen machine guns were bought by undercover agents, Berarducci said.
Berarducci said the suspects were arrested in Cuyahoga, Ashtabula, Summit, Trumbull, Mahoning and Lake counties, an area stretching from Cleveland to Youngstown, and included members of the Aryan Brotherhood and Pagans, one of the nation's four biggest motorcycle gangs, and their associates.
Any connections between the Aryan Brotherhood and the Pagans will be the subject of a continuing investigation, Berarducci said.
"Some may just be doing business with each other," he said. "When you have an undercover investigation, one thing leads to another."