The Department of Justice said 24 members of the "Native Mob" gang have been indicted in federal court on numerous charges, including drug trafficking, assault and attempted murder.

Authorities arrested six of the gang members on the White Earth, Mille Lacs, and Leech Lake reservations and in Minneapolis and Bemidji. Another six remain at large.

The remaining 12 are already incarcerated on other charges. That led the Minnesota Department of Corrections to place all 9,500 inmates in the state on lockdown, partly to prevent them from contacting outsiders while the arrests were taking place.

“This investigation exemplifies the law enforcement cooperation we are fortunate to experience here in Minnesota," U.S. Attorney B. Todd Jones said in a press release. "Local, state, federal, and tribal investigators worked side by side to take down some of the most violent criminals in our state and, in the process, disrupt an extremely dangerous gang that diminishes the quality of life for those who live and work in Native American communities."

"We owe a debt of gratitude to everyone involved in the investigation. Their efforts have made our streets and communities much safer," Jones concluded.

Get the Story:
MN prisons locked down during massive gang sweep (KARE-TV 1/25)
St. Cloud inmates part of state lockdown for gang arrests (The St. Cloud Times 1/25)
Fed 'take-down' of suspected gang members behind lockdown at all state prisons (The Minneapolis Star Tribune 1/25)