More than two dozen Mexican Mafia members and allies were arrested Thursday morning in Southern California, according to federal investigators.
According to the United States Attorney’s Office, the FBI and other federal and local agencies carried out search and arrest orders mostly in Orange County, south of Los Angeles.
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Prosecutors said 43 people, including defendants already in custody, have been indicted on counts such as murder, kidnapping, extortion, running an illegal gambling operation, and drug trafficking.
Officers seized 120 pounds of methamphetamine, over eight pounds of fentanyl, 25 guns, and more than $30,000 in cash, according to officials.
The Mexican Mafia began in a juvenile jail in the 1950s and has since grown into an international criminal organization that handles smuggling, drug sales, and extortion from within California’s prison system.
The indictment states that from June 2024 to April 2026, one detained leader utilized smuggled smartphones to oversee the Mexican Mafia’s illicit activities from his prison cell.
Court documents show that he commanded street gang members to kidnap and attack people. The gang allegedly sold substances such as fentanyl, meth, heroin, and cocaine.
“It ran illegal gambling businesses within commercial strip malls and private residences,” the US Attorney’s Office stated. “The gang collected extortionate taxes and provided security, including the use of violence, to protect the illegal gambling businesses.”
According to the indictment, the gang is also accused of murdering someone in a “gang-controlled” motel in Anaheim.
“Gang members who murder, extort, kidnap, and traffic drugs and firearms pose a threat to our communities and way of life,” said First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli.
In the following days, the defendants will make their initial appearances in federal court in Los Angeles and Orange counties.
