Eight young people in the Halifax area have been charged with a combined 48 criminal offences after a series of police raids.
The RCMP allege the eight people — seven adult men and one male youth — have been involved in several violent incidents in the city since late last year.
The charges, including attempted murder, aggravated assault, robbery with a firearm and several weapons-related offences, are against:
One 16-year-old male youth from Harrietsfield
Two 18-year-old men from Timberlea
One 19-year-old man from Timberlea
One 20-year-old man from Halifax
One 20-year-old man from Timberlea
One 21-year-old man from Halifax
One 21-year-old man from Williamswood
RCMP Const. Tammy Lobb said the arrests came after the Mounties executed search warrants at five homes in the Halifax Regional Municipality: on Charles Road, Sugar Maple Drive and Eisener Street in Timberlea, on St. Margarets Bay Road in Lakeside and Carrington Place in Halifax.
Lobb said the eight suspects are believed to be involved in at least three violent incidents since December.
On Dec. 29, 2011, a 23-year-old was stabbed when three armed men forced their way into an apartment on Highfield Park Drive in Dartmouth.
RCMP said there were drugs in the apartment unit at the time.
On Jan. 17, a 24-year-old man was shot outside a home on Wendybrook Drive in Tantallon and an attempted murder charge was laid.
In the ensuing investigation, the Mounties searched the house and ended up seizing a dozen marijuana plants.
Later that same day, an 18-year-old man from Timberlea was beaten with a pipe and robbed in the Fairview neighbourhood of Halifax.
The victim from that case is also one of the eight people charged on Friday.
Lobb said the raids are part of a campaign to crack down on street violence.
"The police have a zero-tolerance policy for the violent crimes that are being committed right now," she told CBC News.
"We have extra resources in place to target the individuals involved."
In addition to the arrests, RCMP seized a shotgun, ammunition and three bullet-proof vests.
Lobb said investigators do not believe the suspects are part of a criminal gang.
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