Six alleged members of the East Coast Bloods gang face murder, weapons and conspiracy charges in Nashville, Tenn., the Department of Justice announced.

The defendants include Keairus ("Key-Thang") Wilson, 21; Montez ("Tez") Hall, 21; Cedric ("Lil Ced") Woods, 22; Rondarius ("Killa") Williamson, 20; William ("Wild Bill") Walden, 22; and Kenneth ("K.G.") Gaddie, 21. All six are Nashville residents. Only Gaddie has not yet been arrested.

The arrests came after a joint-task force investigation that included gang officers with the Nashville Police Department.

"The tireless work of our Gang Unit and other police department investigative components ultimately showed that Bloods members were responsible for violence, including homicides, in more than one area of this city," according to Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson.

Bloods gang members and associates allegedly committed and conspired to commit acts of murder, attempted murder, robbery, narcotics trafficking, bribery and extortion over a more than four-year period. The superseding indictment alleges that the Bloods gang members met regularly to plan and agree upon the commission of crimes; maintained and circulated a collection of firearms for use in criminal activity; and distributed controlled substances including cocaine, cocaine base, marijuana and hydromorphone.

The defendants allegedly shot and killed or wounded several men in drive-bys and carjacked a person.

"If you insist on being involved in criminal activity with gangs and their undeniable acts of violence as alleged in the most recent indictment, be prepared for the consequences," according to Glann Anderson, ATF special agent in charge. "It is only a matter of time until you will become the focal point of an investigation."

The indictment also alleges that Lonnie Greenlee, co-founder of the Galaxy Star Drug Awareness and Gang Prevention Center in Nashville, allowed Bloods gang members to use the facility to conduct gang meetings. According to the indictment, Lonnie Greenlee and Galaxy Star employee Rodney Britton allegedly provided numerous Bloods gang members with fraudulent documentation of court-ordered community service hours in exchange for money.

The defendants are members of the Bloods, a violent street gang that originated in Los Angeles in the 1970s, and ultimately migrated to cities throughout the U.S., including Nashville. The Bloods gang has a hierarchal structure and a long-term and often lethal rivalry with the Crips gang.