Investigators from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office say they’ve arrested 22 people as part of Operation Gang Shield, which targeted a violent street gang called “Sex, Money, Murder.”

This was a seven-month, multi-agency investigation that led to the arrests, the sheriff’s office said.

It says Sex, Money, Murder (SMM) is a part of the United Blood Nation, originally founded in the late 1980s in New York City. It says the gang is known for its hierarchical structure and involvement in violent crime, narcotics offenses and organized criminal conspiracies across multiple states.

The sheriff’s office says in recent years, SMM has expanded its footprint into smaller communities throughout the southeast.

Beginning in May, investigators from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office started an investigat

See Full Page