On December 10, hundreds of law enforcement officers spread out across East Los Angeles to raid homes in a search for 38 gang members believe to be tied to the Mexican Mafia and the Big Hazard gang. Those arrested have been indicted on federal racketeering charges, with crimes ranging from drug dealing to theft to murder.
28 Arrested for Crime
The FBI led the raids alongside Los Angeles police enforcement. According to FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller, 28 people of the 38 named in the indictment were arrested. Seven of the remaining ten were already in custody. And one of them was killed in a shooting that took place over the weekend. That is still being investigated.
Criminal Charges
The U.S. attorney’s office held a news conference to discuss all of the charges and the investigation of the gang. The indictment also names 4 other co-conspirators believed to be Hazard gang members that are already serving life sentences in prison. These 4 are believed to be “made members” of the Mexican Mafia. Allegedly, these 4 are able to issue orders from behind bars.
According to the indictment, the Mexican Mafia controls drug dealing and other crimes by Latino gangs both inside and outside of prison. Allegedly, the gang members dealt methamphetamine, crack cocaine and heroin. Gang members also collected “taxes” from other drug dealers and also allegedly sold guns.
It’s estimated there are 350 members in the Big Hazard gang since it’s conception in the 1940’s. The gang is headquartered in the Ramona Gardens housing project and took its name from nearby Hazard Park.
Source: ABC News, Feds Target Members of ‘Hazard’ Gang in Los Angeles, December 10, 2014
