Over two dozen members of the Mexican Mafia were arrested on Thursday in an operation by the FBI and local authorities across Southern California, federal authorities said.
In an early morning crackdown, search and arrest warrants were executed at 30 locations in Orange County, south of Los Angeles, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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. He directed street gang members to kidnap and assault people, according to court documents.
A total of 43 people, including those already in custody, have been indicted on charges that include murder, kidnapping, extortion, running an illegal gambling operation and drug trafficking, prosecutors said.
Officers seized 120 pounds (54 kilos) of methamphetamine, more than eight pounds (four kilos) of fentanyl, along with 25 firearms and more than $30,000 in cash, officials said.
“The stuff that we’re taking off the streets is very, very dangerous. These guys have no regard for human life. They’re about making money,” First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli said during a news conference.
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.
The gang also allegedly sold drugs including fentanyl, meth, heroin and cocaine.
“It ran illegal gambling businesses within commercial strip malls and private residences,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement. “The gang collected extortionate taxes and provided security, including the use of violence, to protect the illegal gambling businesses.”
The gang is also 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.
