SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — Federal authorities said Thursday that they arrested nearly two dozen members and associates of the Mexican Mafia during an early morning crackdown across Southern California.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the operation was ongoing, with search and arrest warrants being executed mostly in Orange County, south of Los Angeles.
Officials planned to disclose more details at a morning news conference.
Those arrested could face charges including murder, kidnapping, running an illegal gambling operation and drug trafficking, prosecutors said.
Agencies involved in the operation include the FBI, the IRS and local police from the cities of Anaheim and Santa Ana.
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.
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