Fifteen men are facing various charges as the result of a several months-long investigation into the Knox Street Posse in Springfield.
Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni says it's considered the most violent gang in western Massachusetts.
Investigators say the Knox Street Posse is known for distributing firearms and drugs throughout the region.
Twenty guns, 100-thousand bags of heroin, nearly three kilos of cocaine and 70-thousand-dollars in cash has been seized.
Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni stated, “Everyone deserves a safe neighborhood, a quiet street, and a secure home to live and raise a family. The vast majority of people in every neighborhood across this county are law-abiding people who just want safety and peace for themselves and their families. However, the lion’s share of serious street violence in this region is committed at the hands of only a few. There are a small number of individuals who are intent on violence, serious crime, and destruction. We realized that if law enforcement was able to focus on this small population of highly violent offenders, assaults, shootings, and murder would decrease. The Strategic Action & Focused Enforcement Unit (SAFE) is a full-time, permanent unit that works out of the Hampden District Attorney’s Office and includes federal, state, and local law enforcement. SAFE has a singular goal to promote safer streets, safer neighborhoods, and safer communities across Hampden County.
All of the defendants are being held either without bail or on very high bail.
(Pictures Provided by Hampden County DA's Office)