The FBI and other federal and local agencies executed search and arrest warrants at about 30 locations mostly in Orange County, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Officers seized 120 pounds of methamphetamine, more than eight pounds of fentanyl, 25 firearms and more than $30,000 in cash, officials said.
The Mexican Mafia was started in the 1950s at a juvenile jail and grew to an international criminal organization that controls smuggling, drug sales and extortion from inside California's penal system, according to authorities. The indictment alleges one leader who was incarcerated used contraband cellphones to oversee the Mexican Mafia's criminal activities from his state prison cell from June 2024 to April 2026. Court documents state the incarcerated leader directed street gang members to kidnap and assault people. The gang also allegedly sold drugs including fentanyl, meth, heroin and cocaine.
The gang ran illegal gambling businesses within commercial strip malls and private residences, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. It collected extortionate taxes and provided security, including the use of violence, to protect the illegal gambling businesses. The gang is suspected of a murder at a 'gang-controlled' motel in Anaheim, according to the indictment. The defendants will begin making their initial appearances Thursday afternoon in federal court in Los Angeles and Orange counties.