Thirteen people in Connecticut, including one teenager, have been arrested for a string of “violent and narcotic-related incidents” as part of a group known as the “Get Money Steppas,” authorities in Harford announced Wednesday.
The group, also known as GMS, is believed to be linked to “multiple homicides, shootings, acts of retaliatory violence, narcotics dealing, auto theft and arson,” Lt. Aaron Boisvert, with the Hartford Police Department said in a press conference Wednesday afternoon.
The arrests came after an 11-month investigation led by multiple city agencies, the Hartford State’s Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement.
When the arrest warrants were approved, eight of the 13 individuals “were and still are in state or federal custody,” Boisvert said, calling GMS a “massive force driving the gun violence in our city.”
The remaining five suspected members of the group were located and taken into custody without incident by the U.S. Marshals Violent Fugitive Task Force and Hartford Police Violent Crime Unit.
“I want to stress the individuals arrested in this operation are responsible in some part for acts of extreme violence,” including some when up to 100 rounds were fired, Boisvert said.
Speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Hartford Police Chief Jason Thody called GMS members “some of the most violent folks in the city that are using some of the most violent instruments [such as] altered weapons, fully automated weapons [and] ghost guns.”
The 13 individuals, ranging in age from 16 to 30, are facing organized crime and racketeering charges.
