LOS ANGELES-- The FBI along with the U.S. Attorney's Office filed charges on Thursday  against 12 defendants for narcotics and firearms violations as part of an Inland Empire investigation known as Operation Squeeze Play.

Law enforcement officials initiated an investigation into criminal activities of  several San Bernardino based criminal gangs including the California Garden Crips and the Delmann Heights Bloods.

SANTA ANA--  A federal grand jury returned an indictment Wednesday against the former chief financial officer of an Irvine-based technology company. He is charged with participating in a fraud scheme to embezzle approximately $16 million from Trustin Technology.

Jean Joseph Ibrahim, 33, formerly of Rancho Santa Margarita, was returned to California Thursday. He was arrested last month when he came back to the U.S. through New York's John F. Kennedy Airport.

HOUSTON-- Former Houston Police Officer Leslie Aikens, 46, has been sentenced on Wednesday to more than 15  years  after he was convicted by a jury on Nov. 15, 2011 to aiding and abetting possession of a controlled substance by providing an escort for narcotics through the Houston area in his police department vehicle.

The 19-year-veteran  accepted a $2,000 bribe to provide the protection for the vehicle he believed to be transporting seven kilograms of cocaine.

Jurors saw a video recording which detailed the transaction.