Police in Newark are cracking down on drug and gang-related activities in the area.

Police say they've made 18 gang-related arrests since Sunday. Several of those arrests were made Thursday on Martin Luther King Boulevard. According to authorities, the other arrests were on Johnson Street and Spruce Street.

Investigators believe most of the suspects are involved in the Bloods and Crips gangs. They say the suspected gang members are part of a major drug operation.

"[Police found] over 500 grams of cocaine, over 100 grams of heroine, at least three handguns and an excess of $35,000," says Thomas Fennelly, of the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.

Officials say all of the arrests are a step in the right direction in cleaning up the area.