Monterey County investigators crack down on crime in Castroville

Monterey County Sheriff’s deputies said criminal gang activity is on the rise in Castroville. To combat that crime the department recently spent several days cracking down with an intensive effort to catch more criminals in the act.

The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office said that over the Fourth of July weekend, the department saw a spike in criminal activity, and something had to be done.

“The biggest one leading to us having to request mutual aid from cities like Marina, Seaside, CHP. They were able to send units to help us because of an incident that happened where what believed to be gang members’ guns, we recovered the guns, and took two people to jail,”Commander John Thornburg said.

The Sheriff’s Office said it sent several deputies to Castroville as special enforcement over a three-day period, and during those patrols.

“We had a DUI was one, we had several probation violations, and narcotics for sale,” Thornburg said.

What started as a routine traffic stop turned into the arrest of three men, one of them carrying a container with 19 packets of cocaine. Deputies made 18 arrests in just three days, and that has given some comfort to people living in Castroville.

“That’s very good, I think it’s very awesome especially for the city of Castroville, so I think that a lot of people will feel more comfortable walking around,” beautician Susana Mondragon said.

Mondragon works in Castroville at her sister’s salon and said even though her business hasn’t been affected by gang violence, people are talking about the problem.

“A lot of my customers worry about the safety because there are a lot of robberies in the houses, and I hope that will fix it also,” Mondragon said.

Mondragon hopes more deputies will help. The Sheriff’s Department said more than half of those arrested during the enforcement period were either in a gang or somehow connected with them. Mondragon has a message for kids tempted by gang life.

“I always tell teenagers, ‘go to school, get a job that’s going to be the main thing.’ I hope they understand the meaning of education because I think education is going to take them somewhere instead of stealing or instead of being gangsters,” Mondragon said.

The Sheriff’s Department said the operation was not a one-time thing.