The FBI announced that it, alongside the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), raided a Mexican Mafia-linked gang in Southern California. More than a dozen people were arrested in connection to the activity.
The gang, known as “Rancho San Pedro” (RSP), is known to engage in “various criminal activities and acts of violence in and around the Los Angeles Harbor area,” the FBI explained. RSP is a “multi-generational gang with a current estimated membership of approximately 500 individuals who are divided into approximately six subsets or ‘cliques,’ including two female cliques,” the statement added.
The gang originated in the 1970s and operates under Mexican Mafia members who are in California state prisons. RSP members pay “taxes” to the mafia in return for their protection. Those who violate rules receive “discipline” by assault.
“These arrests prove the power of partnerships,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in a statement. “When law enforcement agencies collaborate, we are able to take violent offenders and illegal weapons off our streets. These arrests demonstrate our commitment to restoring safety and trust in every community, especially those that have suffered the most from gang violence. Working with our federal and local partners, we have sent an unequivocally clear warning to violent street gangs—the chance of getting caught and the dire prison consequences for your actions have gone way up. Continue at your own peril.”
Earlier this year, the Vice Mayor of Cudahy, California, called for gangs to organize violence against ICE agents.
Vice Mayor Cynthia Gonzalez said in a video that she wants to know where the “cholos” are in Los Angeles, using a slang term for young Hispanic men involved in gang activities. She went on to list gangs present in the area, such as 18th Street Florencia.
