15 gang members or affiliates accused in drug conspiracy

ST. LOUIS -- Fifteen alleged gang members or associates were indicted by a federal grand jury in St. Louis for distribution of crack cocaine and heroin.

Federal agents and police are working together to arrest the men, 12 of them from St. Louis and three from Phoenix. The roundup is part of Mission SAVE, a St. Louis-area effort launched in 2015 that targets violent offenders. By midday Wednesday, about half of the suspects were in custody.

Authorities said the men are members of or are associated with a gang known as the Cochran Crips, who operate out of neighborhoods near downtown St. Louis.

The investigation is being conducted by the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and police departments in St. Louis city, St. Louis County and St. Charles city.