Arrests of 18 people associated with the Westside criminal gang, operating mainly out of Winter Garden.

Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation reports the arrests of 18 people associated with the Westside criminal gang, operating mainly out of Winter Garden. According to investigators, the gang was involved in violent crime and narcotics trafficking.The MBI said the Westside Gang was responsible for trafficking millions of dollars of cocaine and cannabis in Central Florida.Authorities first began to track this group in 1997 and identified about 80 members and associates in what is called Operation Westside.
Investigators say the group was also involved in money laundering by using two businesses, Hot Dog City and Diana's Secretarial Services in Winter Garden, owned by Daniel Perez.The MBI also reports that Perez is financially supporting gang members in prison and their families in exchange for their silence.