Chilling crimes of Mexican Mafia gangsters revealed in SoCal takedown

Fentanyl sales. Arms dealing. Kidnapping. Extortion. Murder.

Court documents from Thursday’s massive Mexican Mafia takedown revealed the terrifying alleged crimes of foot soldiers conducting the gang’s sinister business in Southern California.

The California Post watched Thursday as FBI agents executed a raid on the bungalow of Andrew “Speedy” Hernandez — just one of 43 alleged gangsters arrested in 30 stunning raids targeting the Mafia’s crimes in Orange County.

Wearing camo and packing shotguns, the officers encircled Hernandez’s home in Lakewood with their convoy of military-style trucks, detonated a flash-bang and called for the accused drug dealer to come out.

The man known as “Speedy” and a shirtless associate came out with their hands up, while agents handcuffed them and took them into custody.

The feds’ shocking indictment for Hernandez and 36 other accused Mafia associates spells out the brutal blood trade they were engaged in.

The Mexican Mafia’s “tentacles extend from state prison into our county jails and on through the streets,” said federal prosecutor Bill Essayli, who led Thursday’s takedown.

The indictment for the Gangsta’s Paradise takedown lists the crimes its members are accused of.

“Members and associates of the Mexican Mafia engaged in, among other things, murder, extortion, robbery, assault, drug trafficking, money laundering, identity theft, prostitution, and illegal gambling,” the indictment states.

Members of the Mexican Mafia were referred to as “carnales” or “brothers,” according to the frightening court document.

“To become a brother, a gang member must have a distinguished reputation for ‘putting in work’ on behalf of the Mexican Mafia, meaning the gang member had murdered or assaulted enemies and rivals of the Mexican Mafia,” the charging papers allege.

Formed in 1957 by Luis “Huero Buff” Flores and other Hispanic gang members at the Deuel Vocational Institution in Tracy, Calif., the Mexican Mafia is a prison-based council that directs Hispanic street gangs in drugs, kidnapping, extortion, gambling and other crimes.

Created to protect Hispanic inmates, the Mafia, a.k.a. “La Eme,” is today the most powerful prison gang in the US and a highly organized criminal enterprise that derives power in part from its position as a go-between between California’s gangs and the Mexican Cartels.

The federal indictments in Thursday’s takedown charged suspects with drug dealing, money laundering, kidnapping, illegal gaming, assault and murder.

Throughout the investigation, FBI agents seized 25 firearms, tens of thousands of dollars in cash, four kilos of fentanyl, 120 pounds of methamphetamine, three kilos of cocaine, two pounds of heroin and 5,000 fentanyl pills, according to Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office.

Calling the shots on the whole enterprise was Mexican Mafia boss Luis Cardenas, a.k.a. “Gangster,” currently serving 25 years to life for murder at Ironwood State Prison in Riverside County.

Thursday’s indictment revealed that Cardenas used encrypted messaging on smuggled cell phones to instruct his underlings to “sell narcotics and collect extortionate taxes on behalf of Cardenas from slap houses, smoke shops, gangs, and drug dealers in Orange County.”

Cardenas “would direct others to kidnap and assault people in bad standing” with him, according to the indictment, and delegate other crimes, including a shooting and extortion, to his lieutenants in street gangs, who in turn would hand those jobs to their members.

Cardenas was hit Thursday with new federal charges for racketeering and conspiracy.

The other alleged gang members arrested Thursday morning were processed at the Santa Ana Police Station and made their initial court appearances that afternoon in federal court in Santa Ana and downtown Los Angeles.

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