More than two dozen members and associates of the Mexican mafia have been arrested following an early morning crackdown in southern California, federal authorities said on Thursday. The operation, carried out by the FBI and other agencies, focused on locations mainly in Orange County, south of Los Angeles.
In total, 43 people have been indicted on charges including murder, kidnapping, extortion, running an illegal gambling operation, and drug trafficking, according to prosecutors. Officers seized 120 lbs of methamphetamine, over 8 lbs of fentanyl, 25 firearms, and more than $30,000 in cash.
The Mexican mafia, which originated in the 1950s at a juvenile detention centre, has grown into an international criminal organisation that controls smuggling, drug sales, and extortion from within California's penal system. The indictment alleges that one incarcerated leader used contraband mobile phones to oversee the gang's activities from his prison cell between June 2024 and April this year.
Court documents claim the leader directed street gang members to kidnap and assault people, and that the gang sold drugs including fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine. The US Attorney's Office said the gang ran illegal gambling businesses in commercial strip malls and private residences, collecting extortionate taxes and providing violent security.
The gang is also suspected of a murder at a gang-controlled motel in Anaheim, according to the indictment. First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli commented: 'Gang members who murder, extort, kidnap and traffic drugs and firearms are a menace to our communities and our way of life.'
The defendants will begin making their initial appearances in the coming days in federal courts in Los Angeles and Orange counties.
