St. Lucie County Sheriff Richard Del Toro and Fort Pierce Police Chief David Smith disclosed Thursday that a coordinated effort known as “Operation Score Board” resulted in the arrest of 40 suspected members of the 23rd Street Gang. The 18‑month investigation, which involved multiple local and state agencies, targeted a group that officials say has terrorized the Fort Pierce community for years.
Operation details and community impact
According to Sheriff Del Toro, the gang is believed to have between 70 and 80 members and has been responsible for a decade of violent crime in northern St. Lucie County. “This gang has terrorized, basically created a hostage crisis for our community up there,” Del Toro said. “There’s a lot of good people that are up there in Fort Pierce that have been just held hostage by this group for the last decade, living in fear.”
Investigators uncovered a “scoreboard” that the gang used to track shootings and homicides, a discovery that inspired the operation’s name. Fort Pierce Police Chief David Smith explained that detectives reviewed a decade of criminal activity to identify connections between suspected gang members and violent offenses. “Detectives conducted an extensive review of criminal activity spanning ten years, examining incidents and identifying connections between individuals associated with the gang,” Smith said. “This intensive analysis revealed a disturbing pattern of organized crime and violence.”
Legal tools and arrests
Authorities employed Florida’s RICO law to link alleged shootings, drug trafficking and other criminal conduct to members of the 23rd Street Gang. On Wednesday, officers executed multiple search warrants throughout the Fort Pierce area, resulting in an initial 11 arrests and ultimately bringing the total to 40.
During the raids, law‑enforcement seized numerous firearms, a variety of illegal drugs and thousands of dollars in cash. The scale of the operation, Del Toro noted, is unprecedented for the region. “I’ve never seen an operation this large with this many agencies at the local and federal level,” he said. “I think this is going to have a significant generational impact in this community.”
Future enforcement efforts
Both the sheriff’s office and the Fort Pierce police department indicated that similar multi‑agency investigations are planned for the future, aiming to continue dismantling organized crime networks that threaten public safety.
Residents are encouraged to report any suspicious activity and to cooperate with ongoing investigations. The collaborative effort demonstrates the commitment of St. Lucie County’s law‑enforcement partners to protect families, uphold the rule of law, and restore peace to the Fort Pierce area.
Original reporting: WPBF (Treasure Coast / Hearst) — read the source article.
