Winston-Salem police look for way to stop criminal enterprises recruiting juveniles [Video]

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WGHP) — In July, Winston-Salem police sent out a press release detailing what was described as a “Continuing Criminal Enterprise,” saying officers charged seven people in connection to 16 separate criminal offenses dating from May 2023 to Feb. 2024.

Of those seven charged, five of them were juveniles.

“A lot of the criminal enterprise stuff is gang-related, so they’re all connected together,” said Sergeant Adam Prim, of the Winston-Salem Police Department’s gang unit.

The cases were mostly connected to firearm-related offenses and motor vehicle larcenies and vandalism.

“We’ve had intelligence about 10-year-olds getting jumped into these gangs,” Prim said.

The WSPD estimates there are thousands of gang members who beling to more than 50 gangs in the city.

“We’re seeing people come here from Mexico recruiting hard on the Hispanic side of the gangs,” Prim said.

His unit is not only tasked with identifying and tracking gang members but also getting the most dangerous members off the …