Mexican mafia members, associates arrested in major federal raid in Southern California

More than 40 members and associates of the Mexican mafia were arrested Thursday morning during an early-morning raid across Southern California.

The FBI and other federal and local agencies executed search and arrest warrants at about 30 locations across the region, mostly in Orange County.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said 43 people, some of whom were already in custody, have been indicted on charges that include murder, kidnapping, extortion, running an illegal gambling operation and drug trafficking.

"Gang members who murder, extort, kidnap, and traffic drugs and firearms are a menace to our communities and our way of life," said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli. "Today's arrests highlight the continuing cooperation between federal and local law enforcement against violent felons and our unyielding determination to crack down on organized crime in our prisons and our streets."

According to authorities, officers seized four kilograms of fentanyl, 54.4 kilograms of methamphetamine, 0.9 kilogram of heroin, three kilograms of cocaine, 25 firearms, and more than $30,000 in cash.

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.

The indictment alleges one leader who was incarcerated used contraband cellphones to oversee the Mexican Mafia's criminal activities from his state prison cell from June 2024 to April 2026. He directed street gang members to kidnap and assault people, according to court documents. The gang also allegedly sold drugs including fentanyl, meth, heroin and cocaine.

"It ran illegal gambling businesses within commercial strip malls and private residences," the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement. "The gang collected extortionate taxes and provided security, including the use of violence, to protect the illegal gambling businesses."

The gang is also suspected of a murder at a "gang-controlled" motel in Anaheim, according to the indictment.

The defendants will begin making their initial appearances Thursday afternoon in federal court in Los Angeles and Orange counties.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.