Southern California Authorities Arrest More than 100 Members of Mexican Mafia

Authorities in Southern California have arrested over 100 members of the Mexican Mafia, a violent street gang. The charges ranged from attempted murder and racketeering to kidnapping and drug trafficking. Most of the arrests occurred in San Diego County. Federal officials said that the arrests were the result of three separate investigations.

Laura Duffy, a U.S. attorney, said that 104 suspects were arrested in early morning raids by local and federal law enforcement. Two of the people arrested are believed to be high ranking members of the street gang, which is actually based out of prison. There are still fifteen suspects that authorities are looking for.

An FBI special agent in San Diego, Keith Slotter, said that the arrests mark one of the largest takedowns in the city’s history.

The Mexican Mafia has thousands of members in California. The two “ring leaders,” Salvador Colabella and Rudy Espuda, allegedly took extortion payments from members of the gang who sold drugs in areas that were controlled by Mexican Mafia. Some of those that were arrested were members of other gangs in the area with ties to the Mexican Mafia.

The Mexican Mafia is also commonly called La Eme and is the oldest prison gang in the United States. It was formed back in 1958 by Luis Flores, who was a former member of the Hawaiian Gardens gang. Flores recruited as many violent members as he could find, creating an organization that was highly feared. Eventually, the Aryan Brotherhood would carry out contract killings for the Mexican Mafia.

Today, the organization does not have a single leader, but rather hundreds of members who have the authority to order murders and other crimes. Members of the gang may be killed for one of four “major infractions: homosexuality, cowardice, disrespect, or becoming a snitch or informant.