Free Republic

Federal agents arrested 37 accused gang members with ties to the infamous Mexican Mafia Thursday in a series of stunning predawn raids in Orange County meant to put Southern California’s criminal underworld on notice. Dubbed “Operation Gangsta’s Paradise,” agents aimed to disrupt operations of the group, also known as La Eme — a violent, prison-based “gang of gangs” said to control almost all Hispanic street gangs in California.

SANTA ANA, Calif. — Nearly 100 purported gang members have been arrested, along with weapons, cash and drugs, in what law enforcement officials are calling a devastating blow on local gangs and leaders of the notorious Mexican Mafia. Among those named in one of several indictments unsealed Wednesday was Peter Ojeda, a Santa Ana native indicted in 2005 and currently in federal prison. But despite his incarceration, Ojeda is accused of continuing to hold a grip in Orange County's Latino street gangs, ordering punishment on local gangs that refused to follow his commands and giving the "green light" on rivals...

Authorities in Maverick County found the bodies of two men in their underwear dumped in a canal Tuesday morning. The men haven't been identified, said Chief Deputy Sheriff Ruben Cano. The bodies have been taken to San Antonio for autopsies. One of the men had a large cut on his neck and was wrapped in plastic bags, and may have been killed somewhere else, Cano said. The second victim appeared to have been killed in the canal north of Eagle Pass, he said. Sheriff's investigators, who are working with the Texas Rangers, don't have any leads and haven't found any...

The man sitting in the back of the vehicle is wearing a light-colored shirt, a patterned tie and an air of authority. He's headed to a conference in Anaheim to give a speech and, as trees, hedges and apartment buildings flash by, he rattles off a list of accomplishments — his book, his expert witness testimony. "This has been a dream of mine," he says in the online video, referring to his speaking invitation. "You know how many people have said, 'You can't do it'?" There was every reason to doubt Rene "Boxer" Enriquez could. Enriquez, 52, is serving a...

The Austin American-Statesman reports that Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo made a comment this week regarding San Antonio at a news conference touting recent successes against the Mexican Mafia. Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said the 309 years doled out on Friday are “a tremendous gift to the people of Austin.” “The Mexican Mafia is not welcome in Austin,” Acevedo said. “I hope they go back to San Antonio.” Federal, state and Austin law enforcement officials took part in the Tuesday presser. The Statesman reported: The FBI said the case is the largest joint prosecution of the gang in Austin....

<p>A federal hate-crimes indictment highlights differences in response between Barack Obama and previous presidents when racists target blacks with violence.</p> <p>The Feb. 8 Department of Justice press release says that members of the Compton 155 gang, whose members call themselves “nigger killers” (the release spells it out N***** Killers) or “NKs,” use “violence and threats of violence in an effort to drive African-Americans out of their ‘territory’ on the west side of Compton.” Further, “[t]o instill fear in African-Americans, members of the gang tag their gang moniker and ‘NK’ throughout their ‘territory.’”</p>

A federal grand jury recently charged dozens of Mexican mafia members for allegedly running an extensive drug operation from inside Los Angeles County jails. On Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that 83 defendants were charged in two federal racketeering indictments as part of an FBI-led investigation.

Two major law enforcement stings targeting Southern California gangs have rocked the Los Angeles and San Diego underworld. The FBI conducted raids against two major gangs this week, arresting more than 50 gangsters and associates involved in numerous rackets, from drug trafficking to underage prostitution. Members of East LA's Big Hazard gang were rounded up Wednesday morning, while Federal officials in San Diego Thursday indicted 22 members of the Tycoons syndicate, involving members from various local street gangs. Big Hazard, aka Hazard Grande, East Los Angeles In a massive undertaking dubbed Operation Resident Evil, more than 800 law enforcement officials from various...