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{{Short description|Mexican American criminal organization}} | ||
{{about|the U.S. criminal organization|criminal organizations in Mexico|:Category:Organized crime groups in Mexico|and|Drug cartels#Mexico}} | |||
| name = Mexican Mafia/La Eme/13 | |||
{{Infobox criminal organization | |||
| image = Mexican Mafia tattoo.jpg | |||
| name = Mexican Mafia | |||
| caption = Gang's name tattooed on gang member's abdomen. | |||
| image = Mano negra, Mafia Mexicana.jpg | |||
| founded on = 1957 | |||
| image_size = 225px | |||
| founding location = ], ], ] | |||
| caption = The primary symbol used by ''La eMe'' | |||
| territory = ] ]s in, ], ], ], ], ]. | |||
| founded = {{start date and age|1957}}<ref name="History Channel" /><ref name="Rafael">Rafael, T. (2007). ''The Mexican Mafia''. p. 171–185, 237–267. New York: Encounter Books.</ref><ref name="Mallory" /><ref name="Ortega">Ortega, F. (February 8, 2008). Mexican mafia's roots run deep in san gabriel valley. '']''. Retrieved from {{cite web |url=http://www.whittierdailynews.com/gangs/ci_8251694 |title=Mexican Mafia's roots run deep in San Gabriel Valley - Whittier Daily News |access-date=2012-03-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120410200624/http://www.whittierdailynews.com/gangs/ci_8251694 |archive-date=April 10, 2012 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> | |||
| founded by = Luis "Huero Buff" Flores | |||
| founder = Luis "Huero Buff" Flores<ref name="History Channel" /> | |||
| years active = 1957–present | |||
| founding_location = ], California, United States<ref name="History Channel" /><ref name="Mallory" /><ref name="Ortega" /> | |||
| ethnic makeup = ], ] and other Ethnic groups | |||
| years_active = 1957–present<ref name="History Channel" /> | |||
| criminal activities = ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ] | |||
| territory = ] and ] United States,<ref name="Prison Gangs1"> ] (May 11, 2015)</ref> and throughout the ]<ref name="Lawrence" /> and ]<ref name="Lawrence" /> | |||
| allies = ] | |||
| ethnicity = ]<ref name="Prison Gangs1" /> | |||
| rivals = ],<ref name="dc.state.fl.us">{{cite web|author=Florida Department of Corrections |url=http://dc.state.fl.us/pub/gangs/prison2.html |title=DC.state.fl.us |publisher=DC.state.fl.us |date= |accessdate=2011-06-28}}</ref><ref name="www.history.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.history.com/content/gangland/today-s-gangs#mexican |title=History.com |publisher=History.com |date=2011-06-16 |accessdate=2011-06-28}}</ref><ref name="www.policemag.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.policemag.com/Channels/Gangs/2007/07/25/History-of-the-Mexican-Mafia-Prison-Gang.aspx |title=Policemag.com |publisher=Policemag.com |date=2007-07-25 |accessdate=2011-06-28}}</ref> ],<ref name="dc.state.fl.us"/><ref name="www.policemag.com"/> Norteños <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.policemag.com/Blog/Gangs/Story/2007/08/The-Vineland-Boys-Gang.aspx |title=Policemag.com |publisher=Policemag.com |date= |accessdate=2011-06-28}}</ref> | |||
| membership = 250-300 ]<ref name="Lawrence" /><ref name="Supreme Court"> casetext.com (June 2, 2003) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524203442/https://casetext.com/case/us-v-shryock-3 |date=May 24, 2022}}</ref> | |||
| activities = Drug trafficking, extortion, illegal gambling, prostitution, assault and murder<ref name="Prison Gangs1" /> | |||
| allies = {{plainlist|<!-- Any and all additions to this section require a reliable source. --> | |||
* ]<ref name="Roots of Armenian Power"> | |||
Richard Valdemar, policemag.com (March 1, 2011) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327140727/https://www.policemag.com/blogs/gangs/blog/15317988/roots-of-the-armenian-power-gang |date=March 27, 2023 }}</ref> | |||
* ]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/california-prison-gangs-price-control |title=California Prison Gangs - The Price of Control |date=December 1982 |access-date=January 25, 2023 |archive-date=January 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230125103134/https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/california-prison-gangs-price-control |url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
* ]<ref name="Alive and Kicking"> Richard Valdemar, PoliceMag.com (March 14, 2011) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230427043306/https://www.policemag.com/blogs/gangs/blog/15317973/la-cosa-nostra-alive-and-kicking |date=April 27, 2023 }}</ref> | |||
* ] (1960s-1980s){{sfn|Christie|2016|p=130}}<ref name="Former Gang Leader Killed"> Julian Guthrie, '']'' (March 25, 2001) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101111515/https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Former-Prison-Gang-Leader-Killed-on-Street-Pool-2938860.php |date=January 1, 2016 }}</ref> | |||
* ]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Morales |first1=Gabriel C. |title=The history of the Mexican Mafia : (la eMe) |date=2013 |publisher=Create Space Independent Publishers |location=Scotts Valley, California |isbn=978-1492711674}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Langton |first1=Jerry |title=Gangland : the rise of the Mexican drug cartels from El Paso to Vancouver |date=2011 |publisher=J. Wiley & Sons Canada |location=Mississauga, Ont. |isbn=978-1118014271 |pages=118–146}}</ref> | |||
* ]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1980/10/22/Aladena-Jimmy-the-Weasel-Fratianno-boasted-in-a-taped/7154341035200/ |title=Aladena 'Jimmy the Weasel' Fratianno boasted in a taped... |first=Chris |last=Chrystal |date=October 22, 1980 |publisher=] |location=Los Angeles |access-date=November 13, 2020 |archive-date=March 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240301223215/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1980/10/22/Aladena-Jimmy-the-Weasel-Fratianno-boasted-in-a-taped/7154341035200/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
* ]<ref name="dc.state.fl.us">{{cite web |author=Florida Department of Corrections |url=http://dc.state.fl.us/pub/gangs/prison2.html#bgf |title=Prison Gangs (continued) – Gangs and Security Threat Group Awareness |publisher=Florida Department of Corrections |access-date=2012-08-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100312183629/http://www.dc.state.fl.us/pub/gangs/prison2.html#bgf |archive-date=2010-03-12}}</ref> | |||
* ]<ref name="Infamous One Percenters"> Danielle Shields (2012) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221129052246/http://www.cjcj.org/uploads/cjcj/documents/The_Infamous.pdf |date=November 29, 2022}}</ref> | |||
* ]<ref name=bryjak>{{cite book |last1=Bryjak |first1=G. J. |last2=Barkan |first2=S. E. |title=Fundamentals of criminal justice : a sociological view |date=2011 |publisher=Jones & Bartlett Learning |location=Sudbury, Massacheusetts |isbn=9780763754242 |pages=115}}</ref> | |||
* ]<ref>Blankstein, A., & Linthicum, K. (February 17, 2011). Raids targeting armenian gang net 74 fraud suspects. ''Los Angeles Times''. Retrieved from https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2011-feb-17-la-me-0217-armenian-gang-20110217-story.html</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Barkan|first1=Steven|last2=Bryjak|first2=George|title=Fundamentals of Criminal Justice: A Sociological View|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZHAfpoCO5yMC&pg=PA115|date=28 January 2011|publisher=Jones & Bartlett Learning|isbn=978-0-7637-5424-2|page=115}}</ref> | |||
* ]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.policemag.com/blog/gangs/story/2010/04/mexican-mafia-the-most-dangerous-gang.aspx|title=Mexican Mafia: The Most Dangerous Gang|date=12 April 2010}}</ref> <br> ]<ref> ] (2008)</ref> | |||
}} | }} | ||
| rivals = {{plainlist|<!-- Any and all additions to this section require a reliable source. --> | |||
The '''Mexican Mafia''' (] : '''Mafia Mexicana'''), also known as '''La Eme''' (Spanish for the letter M), 13 is a ] ], and is one of the oldest and most powerful ]s in the United States.<ref name="foia.fbi.gov">{{dead link|date=June 2011}}</ref><ref name="Modern Prison Gangs">{{cite web|url = http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&content_type_id=56287&display_order=4&mini_id=56143| title = Modern Prison Gangs|publisher = History.com|accessdate = 2008-03-22}}</ref><ref name="Inside Prison">{{cite web|url = http://www.insideprison.com/mexican-mafia-prison-gang.asp| title = Mexican Mafia: Prison Gang Profile |publisher = Inside Prison|accessdate = 2006-05-01}}</ref> | |||
* ]<ref name="dc.state.fl.us" /> | |||
* ]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mobile.roanokeva.gov/Teams/JuvJusticeServ.nsf/xsp/.ibmmodres/domino/OpenAttachment/teams/juvjusticeserv.nsf/14DEC5E457FA4AC385257E14005ED190/Body/Gang%2520Reference%2520Sheets.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwix6qfht4HtAhUjwVkKHavKC50QFjAAegQIIxAC&usg=AOvVaw0p7f8xgPloQXrlQiKIFun6 |title=Gang Reference Sheet |date=May 2011 |access-date=November 14, 2020}}</ref> | |||
* ] (1980s-present)<ref>{{cite web |title=The Mongol Motorcycle Gang and the Mexican Mafia |url=https://www.policemag.com/blogs/gangs/blog/15318659/the-mongol-motorcycle-gang-and-the-mexican-mafia |website=Police Magazine |language=en-us |date=21 January 2008}}</ref> | |||
* ]<ref name="Roots of Armenian Power" /> | |||
* ]<ref name="dc.state.fl.us" /> | |||
* ]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/most-dangerous-prison-gangs-in-the-us-2013-4?IR=T|title=America's 11 Most Powerful Prison Gangs|website=]}}</ref><ref name="Mallory" /><ref name="Bruneau" /><ref name="History Channel NF">Nuestra Familia. (2012). The History Channel website. Retrieved 10:59, February 2, 2012, from {{cite web |url=http://www.history.com/shows/gangland/articles/nuestra-familia |title=Archived copy |access-date=2012-02-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811235030/http://www.history.com/shows/gangland/articles/nuestra-familia |archive-date=August 11, 2011 |df=mdy-all}}.</ref><ref name="Blatchford">{{cite book|last1=Blatchford|first1=Chris|title=The black hand : the bloody rise and redemption of "Boxer" Enriquez, a Mexican mob killer|date=2008|publisher=Harper Collins|location=New York|isbn=9780061257292|edition=1st|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Sx_4yIqas64C|access-date=December 18, 2016}}</ref> | |||
}} | |||
| notable_members = {{plainlist| | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
}} | |||
}} | |||
The '''Mexican Mafia''' (Spanish: ''Mafia Mexicana''), also known as '''''La eMe''''' (Spanish for "the M"), is a predominantly ] ] and ] in the United States.<ref name="History Channel">{{cite web |url=http://www.history.com/shows/gangland/articles/mexican-mafia |title=Mexican Mafia |work=Gangland |publisher=The History Channel |date=2012 |access-date=August 16, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020095836/http://www.history.com/shows/gangland/articles/mexican-mafia |archive-date=October 20, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Mallory">{{cite book|last1=Mallory|first1=Stephen L.|title=Understanding organized crime|date=2012|publisher=Jones & Bartlett Learning|location=Sudbury, MA|isbn=9781449622572|pages=218–220|edition=2nd|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BwDrWKvmrrIC&pg=PA218}}</ref> Despite its name, the Mexican Mafia has no origins in Mexico and is entirely a U.S. organization. Law enforcement officials report that the Mexican Mafia is the deadliest and most powerful gang within the ].<ref name="Harris">Harris, D. (2004). ''Gangland: The growing gang epidemic in America's cities''. Oakland, TN: Holy Fire Publishing, {{ISBN|0976111241}}.</ref> | |||
Government officials state that there are currently 350–500 official members of the Mexican Mafia <ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.justice.gov/entity-popup/file/432396#:~:text=La%20Eme%20is%20a%20loosely,a%20Southern%20California%20street%20gang. |access-date=2024-02-06 |website=www.justice.gov}}</ref> with thousands of hitmen and associates within prison and an estimate of more than 50,000 loyal foot soldiers who also carry out its illegal activities on the streets in the hopes of becoming full members. The Mexican Mafia has immense influence and control over every Hispanic street gang in Southern California, including the notoriously brutal ] and ], since in the prison system inmates are recruited into gangs based on race regardless of street gang affiliation. The U.S. Government considers the Mexican Mafia to be "among the most powerful, dangerous and feared criminal organizations in the world".<ref name="Supreme Court" /> | |||
==History== | ==History== | ||
The Mexican Mafia was formed in 1957 by thirteen ] ] members from different Los Angeles neighborhoods who were incarcerated at the ], a ] facility, which is now an adult state prison in ].<ref name="Matthew Andrews">Valdez, A. J. (2011). Prison gangs 101. Retrieved from http://www.aca.org/fileupload/177/ahaidar/Valdez.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329025139/http://www.aca.org/fileupload/177/ahaidar/Valdez.pdf |date=2019-03-29 }}</ref><ref name="Ortega" /> The founding members formed the gang in order to protect Hispanic inmates from other prison gangs.<ref name="Supreme Court" /><ref name="Mallory" /><ref name="Lyman" /> One of the founders of La eMe is Luis "Huero Buff" Flores, who was an active member of the Barrio Hawaiian Gardens gang in ]. Gang warfare between Hispanic neighborhoods was the norm during the 1950s and 60s, so the fact that Luis Flores was able to get established enemies to set aside their rivalry upon entry into the prison system was something that was not thought possible. This requirement exists to the present day. Hispanic street gangs like ], ], Clanton 14, Hawaiian Gardens, ], and Primera Flats, were already into their second decade and firmly established as self-sustaining entities.<ref name="Rafael" /> | |||
===Foundation=== | |||
Luis Flores initially recruited violent members to the gang in an attempt to create a highly feared organization which could control the black market activities of the Deuel prison facilities. La eMe member Ramon "Mundo" Mendoza claims that in the beginning the overall goal was to terrorize the prison system and enjoy prison comforts while doing time. It is said that the name "Mexican Mafia" was to show organization similar to the ] but it was later changed so as not to be confused with it. Furthermore, the black hand symbol was a reference to the ] of the early 20th century.<ref name="Blatchford" /> | |||
The Mexican Mafia was formed in 1958 by ] ] members incarcerated at the ], a California Youth Authority facility, currently a state prison located in Tracy, California.<ref name="Modern Prison Gangs"/> The founder of the gang was Luis "Huero Buff" Flores, who was previously a member of the ] gang.<ref name="Police Magazine">{{cite web|url = http://www.policemag.com/Blog/Gangs/Story/2007/07/History-of-the-Mexican-Mafia-Prison-Gang.aspx| title = History of the Mexican Mafia Prison Gang|publisher = Police Magazine|accessdate = 7 Oct 2010}}</ref> According to Tony Rafael, <blockquote>By the time that Luis Flores got his brainstorm idea about creating ''La Mafia Mexicana'', as it was first called, gang warfare between Hispanic neighborhoods had become an established fact. Rivalries were then set in stone; gangs like ], San Fer, ], Clanton, ], and ] were already into their second decade and firmly established as self sustaining entities... Given such deep street rivalries, it was a marvel that Luis Flores ever got so far as to suggest that inmates who were enemies on the streets should abandon their animosity when they hit the prisons. But he did and it worked.<ref name="Tony Rafael 2007. Page 276">Tony Rafael, ''The Mexican Mafia'', ], 2007. Page 276.</ref></blockquote> | |||
===Rise=== | |||
Luis Flores initially recruited violent members to the gang, in an attempt to create a highly-feared organization which could control the black market activities of the Deuel prison facilities.<ref name="Police Magazine"/> According to Eme turncoat Ramon "Mundo" Mendoza, <blockquote>"The goal in the beginning was to terrorize the prison system and enjoy prison comforts while doing time."<ref>Chris Blatchford, ''The Black Hand: The Bloody Rise and Redemption of "Boxer" Enriquez, a Mexican Mob Killer'', ], 2008. Page 5.</ref></blockquote> | |||
By 1961, violence got so bad at the Deuel Vocational Institution that administrators transferred a number of the charter La eMe members to ] Penitentiary in the hopes of discouraging their violent behavior. This tactic failed. ] arrived on the lower yard of ] and was met by a six-foot-five, 300-pound black inmate who kissed him. Cadena returned a short time later, walked up to the unsuspecting predator, and stabbed him to death with a jailhouse knife, or ]. Despite there being more than a thousand inmates on the yard, no witnesses stepped forward.<ref name="Blatchford" /> | |||
A string of other slayings soon followed as Mexican Mafia members sought to establish a reputation among the inmates of San Quentin. The Mexican Mafia's quest for complete control alienated many other ] inmates who were fed up with Mexican Mafia stabbing, killing, and stealing their watches, rings, cigarettes and anything else of value. Some of them secretly founded a new prison gang called ] (NF) or "Our Family." It was first established in the mid-1960s at the ] in ]. Some of the early members were from the Los Angeles area, but NF soon drew inmates primarily from rural communities in Northern California. The Mexican Mafia saw Nuestra Familia as inferior and "just a bunch of farmers", or ''farmeros''. However, in 1968 at San Quentin, a full-scale riot broke out after a Mexican Mafia soldier, or ''soldado'', stole a pair of shoes from a Nuestra Familia sympathizer. Nineteen inmates were stabbed and one La eMe associate ended up dead. The battle became known as the "Shoe War" and it established Nuestra Familia as the major La eMe rival.<ref name="Blatchford" /><ref name="Mcshane">McShane, M.D., & Williams, F. P. (1996). ''Encyclopedia of American prisons''. (pp. 345–346). Taylor and Francis.</ref> | |||
According to Luis Flores, <blockquote>"It was a kid's trip then, just a bunch of homeboys from East L.A. If I felt like killing somebody, I would, if I didn't, I wouldn't. We were just having fun then. The power was intoxicating."<ref> Ramon Mendoza, ''Mexican Mafia: From Altar Boy to Hitman'', Los Angeles, 2005. page 16.</ref></blockquote> | |||
The Mexican Mafia gained significant power and control over illegal activities in the California prison system by using violence. The gang also extended its influence outside the prison system when members who were released from custody began taking control of narcotics distribution in parts of ], primarily by "]" drug dealers.<ref name="Supreme Court" /> | |||
As new members of La Eme filtered out back into the streets, Anacleta "Annie" Ramirez, a well-known member of the East Los Angeles community, took many of them under her wing and paired them up with neighborhood youngsters who lacked direction. Ramirez, a sharp, tough woman, taught the youngsters discipline, rules of street life, and, at first, petty crime. This later escalated to her role as a shot caller—as drugs became a major part of the trade—who would get rid of her enemies by ordering youth loyal to her on missions. After she had given the directive, many of her enemies were reportedly murdered on sight.<ref name="Tony Rafael 2007. Page 276"/></blockquote> | |||
=== |
===New Mexican Mafia=== | ||
La eMe should not be confused with the '''New Mexican Mafia'''. Around 1974, a group of Hispanic inmates at ], formed a prison gang known as the Mexican Mafia.<ref name="Arizona DOC">Arizona Department of Corrections. Security Threat Group Unit. (2012). New Mexican Mafia. Retrieved from website: http://www.azcorrections.gov/adc/STG/Jeff_Divisions_Support_STG_nmm.aspx {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120413002731/http://www.azcorrections.gov/adc/STG/Jeff_Divisions_Support_STG_nmm.aspx |date=2012-04-13 }}</ref> ] officials at that time obtained information that this group patterned themselves after the California Mexican Mafia which had been in existence for several years. Several Hispanics who came into the Arizona Prison System brought the concept and philosophy of the California Mexican Mafia.<ref name="Arizona DOC" /> In 1978 the Mexican Mafia split into two organizations. One kept the original philosophy and structure and currently refer to themselves as the Original Mexican Mafia, "Califas Faction", "EME".<ref name="Arizona DOC" /> The other, which came into prominence in 1984 and refer to themselves as the New Mexican Mafia. Many assaults and murders of members of both groups have occurred as a result of each organization claiming the title of "Mexican Mafia" within the Arizona prison system. They have created their own rules and regulations and have established an organizational structure.<ref name="Arizona DOC" /> Each member is allowed to vote on issues regarding membership and leadership. The leader, approved by the members, has the power to solely decide important issues. | |||
] hierarchy in early 2008]] | |||
==Culture== | |||
According to Chris Blatchford, <blockquote>"By 1961, administrators at DVI, alarmed by the escalating violence, had transferred a number of the charter Eme members to ], hoping to discourage their violent behavior by intermingling them with hardened adult convicts. It did not work. For example, the story goes that ] arrived on the lower yard and was met by a six-foot-five, 300-pound black inmate who planted a kiss on his face and announced this scrawny teenager would now be his 'bitch.' Chy returned a short time later, walked up to the unsuspecting predator, and stabbed him to death with a jailhouse knife, or ]. There were more than a thousand inmates on the yard. No witnesses stepped forward, and only one dead man entertained the idea that Cadena was anyone's bitch."<ref>Chris Blatchford, ''The Black Hand; The Bloody Rise and Redemption of "Boxer" Enriquez, A Mexican Mob Killer'', ], 2008. Page 6.</ref></blockquote> A string of other slayings soon followed as Eme members sought to establish a reputation among the inmates of San Quentin.<ref>''The Black Hand'', pages 6-7.</ref> | |||
] | |||
Law enforcement believes that ''La eMe'' presently is not presided over by a single leader. Many Mexican Mafia members have the authority to order ] and oversee various other criminal activities. They have almost a thousand associates that help carry out those orders and have the theoretical control of all ] gang members.<ref name="Supreme Court" /><ref name="Lyman">{{cite book|last1=Lyman|first1=Michael D.|title=Drugs in Society Causes, Concepts and Control.|date=2010|publisher=Elsevier Science|location=Burlington|isbn=9781437744514|pages=240, 279|edition=6th|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pm71ElFPDuMC&pg=PA240|access-date=December 18, 2016}}</ref> Members are expected to engage in tests of their loyalty to ''La eMe'', which may include theft or murder. The penalty for refusing orders or failing to complete an assigned task is often death. According to the gang's constitution, members may also be punished or murdered if they commit any of four major infractions. These include becoming an ], acts of ], acts of cowardice, and showing disrespect against fellow gang members. According to gang policy, a member of the Mexican Mafia may not be murdered without prior approval by a ] of three members, yet the murder of non-members requires no formal approval. | |||
During the early 1960s at ], Luis "Huero Buff" Flores and ] established a ] for members of the Mexican Mafia. Prior to the establishment of the oath, members of the Mexican Mafia were allowed to return to their street gangs after incarceration. The new oath stipulated that the only way for a member to leave the Mexican Mafia was to be killed. Flores and Cadena also established a set of gang commandments. These included policies such as: a new member must be sponsored by an existing member, unanimous approval from all existing members to join (no longer policy), prioritizing the gang over one's family, denial of the existence of the Mexican Mafia to law enforcement or non-members, respect of other members, and forgiving street conflicts which existed before incarceration. Execution of a member of the gang for policy violation must be committed by the gang member who sponsored him. ''La eMe'' has a blood-in, blood-out policy: murder or drawing of blood is a prerequisite for membership and anyone trying to get out will be killed.<ref name="Abadinsky" /> | |||
According to Blatchford, <blockquote>The Eme quest for complete control alienated many other Mexican-American inmates who were fed up with Mexican Mafia bullies stabbing, killing, and stealing their watches, rings, cigarettes and anything else of value. Some of them secretly founded a new prison gang called ] (NF) or "Our Family." It was first established in the mid-1960s at the California Training Facility in Soledad. Some of the early members were from the Los Angeles area, but NF soon drew inmates primarily from rural communities in northern California. The Mexican Mafia saw NF as lame and inferior, just a bunch of farmers, or ''farmeros''. However, in 1968 at San Quentin, a full scale riot broke out after a Mexican Mafia soldier, or ''soldado'', stole a pair of shoes from an NF sympathizer. Nineteen inmates were stabbed, and one Eme associate ended up dead. The battle became known as the "Shoe War" and it established the Nuestra Familia as a major Eme rival.<ref>''The Black Hand'', page 7.</ref></blockquote> | |||
===Rules=== | |||
# A member may not be an informant. | |||
# A member may not be a coward. | |||
The rules of conduct are: | |||
# A member may not raise a hand against another member without approval from the higher-ups and leaders. | |||
# A member must not show disrespect for any member's family, including sex with another member's wife, or girlfriend. | |||
# A member must not steal from another member. | |||
# A member may not be homosexual, sex offender, child killer, child molester, or rapist. | |||
# A member must not politic against another member or cause dissension within the organization. | |||
# Membership is for life, the only way out is death. | |||
# Retaliation must be carried out if anyone crosses ''La eMe'', no exceptions. | |||
# Vendetta must be carried out, even if it takes months, years, or decades. | |||
# If a member of ''La eMe'' gets harmed or killed by someone else such as police, or another criminal gang, retaliation must be immediate, and must be swift, brutal and deadly. | |||
# It is mandatory to assault/kill all dropouts and traitors. | |||
# ''La eMe'' comes first. Even before your own family, religion and god. | |||
# A member must not interfere with another member's business activities. | |||
# A member must never harm children. | |||
# A member must always treat another member's family with respect and kindness. | |||
# A member must protect another member from harm. | |||
# A member must treat another member like a brother.<ref name="Blatchford" /> | |||
===Allies and rivals=== | |||
The Mexican Mafia is the controlling organization for almost every Hispanic gang in Southern California, and some gangs located in ] and ], with their ] gangs being called ]. Members of almost all Hispanic gangs in Southern California are obliged under the threat of death to carry out any and all orders from made Mexican Mafia members. The Mexican Mafia also holds a loose alliance with the ], mainly due to their common rivals within the prison system.<ref name="Abadinsky">Abadinsky, H. (2010). Organized crime. (9th ed., p. 189-190). Belmont, CA: Wadesworth Publishing.</ref> | |||
The primary rivals of the Mexican Mafia are ].<ref name="Prison Gangs">{{cite web|url = http://www.dc.state.fl.us/pub/gangs/prison2.html| title = Gang and Security Threat Group Awareness|publisher = Florida Department of Corrections|access-date = March 22, 2008}}</ref> The Mexican Mafia is also a rival of the ] prison gang, which holds a loose alliance with La Nuestra Familia. ] and ] are the new enemies.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}} | |||
===Symbols=== | |||
Mexican Mafia symbols include images of a black hand. The gang's primary symbol, which is often used in tattoos by members, is the national symbol of Mexico (eagle and a snake) atop a flaming circle over crossed knives. Street gangs that are aligned with the Mexican Mafia often use the number 13 as a gang identifier, as the letter "M" is the 13th letter of the modern Latin-derived alphabet. | |||
==Criminal activities== | ==Criminal activities== | ||
According to the ], the Mexican Mafia had arranged for contract killings to be carried out by the ], a white prison gang. The Mexican Mafia and the Aryan Brotherhood are mutual enemies of the ] and the ] gangs ] and ].<ref>Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Inestivation. (n.d.). Aryan brotherhood. Retrieved from website: http://foia2.fbi.gov/filelink.html?file=/aryanbro/aryanbro1.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161228142204/https://www.fbi.gov/foia2/filelink.html?file=/aryanbro/aryanbro1.pdf |date=2016-12-28 }}</ref> Even though homosexuals are barred from entry into ''La eMe'', they are engaged heavily in ] ] in the prison system.<ref name="Mallory" /><ref name="Lawrence">Lawrence, E. F. U.S. Government Accountability Office, (2010). Combating gangs: Federal agencies have implemented a {{sic|central american}} gang strategy, but could strengthen oversight and measurement of efforts (GAO-10-395). Retrieved from website: http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-395</ref><ref name="Harris" /> Many of the street level homicides in the Highland Park area of Los Angeles committed by the Avenues gang were done on orders issued by the Mexican Mafia.<ref name="Rafael" /> | |||
The Mexican Mafia is involved in a variety of criminal activities both inside and outside the prison system, but its main source of income is extorting drug distributors outside prison and distributing various narcotics within and outside the prison system.<ref name="Lawrence" /> In 1992, an example of ''La eMe'''s influence and power over Sureños was made clear to law enforcement. ], a prominent Mexican Mafia leader, ordered that no more ]s and violence were to take place by Sureños.<ref name="Bruneau">{{cite book|editor1-last=Bruneau|editor1-first=Thomas|editor2-last=Dammert|editor2-first=Lucia|editor3-last=Skinner|editor3-first=Elizabeth|title=Maras: Gang Violence and Security in Central America|isbn=978-0292742437|pages=3, 23-34, 27-30, 32, 259|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9P7W7pBQaVkC&pg=PA3|access-date=December 18, 2016|publisher=University of Texas Press|location=Austin, Texas|date=December 2011}}</ref> Between April, when the edict was announced, and September 1992 there were no drive-by shootings in ], an area that was notorious for violence and drive-bys.<ref name="Bruneau" /> | |||
The first prison gang street execution in Los Angeles was committed by the Mexican Mafia in 1971.<ref name="Police Magazine"/> Responsible for the murder was ] - the notorious ] godfather of La Eme who had ascended by then to become one of the highest-ranking bosses of the entire Eme organization, even with no "official" Mexican blood himself. His connections with ] and ] suppliers in Mexico helped pave the foundation for the Mexican Mafia's narcotics distribution throughout California.<ref name="Police Magazine"/> During the 1970s, while under the control of Morgan's ] ], the Mexican Mafia often took control over various community groups. The gang was able to filter money from alcohol and drug prevention programs to finance their criminal activities.<ref name="Police Magazine"/><ref>Tony Rafael, ''The Mexican Mafia'', pages 171-185.</ref> The Mexican Mafia and the ] ] collaborated in skimming money from ''Get Going'', a taxpayer-funded drug treatment program. By 1977, ''Get Going'' founder Ellen Delia was determined to expose the infiltration of her beloved program. Shortly before an appointment with the California State Secretary of Health and Welfare Services, Delia was murdered. Her collection of evidence on Italian and Mexican Mafia infiltration of the ''Get Going'' program was never recovered.<ref>''Ibid''.</ref> | |||
===1950s=== | |||
In 1995, United States federal authorities indicted 22 members and associates of the Mexican Mafia, charged under the federal ] Act with crimes which included extortion, murder and kidnapping.<ref name="The Tech">{{cite web|url = http://tech.mit.edu/V115/N22/MafiaHanded.22w.html| title = Mafia Handed 22 Indictments in LA|publisher = The Tech|date = 1995-05-02}}</ref> One of the arrested members, Benjamin "Topo" Peters, was allegedly the Mexican Mafia's highest ranking member at the time, and was engaged in a power struggle with fellow member Ruben "Tupi" Hernandez.<ref name="The Tech"/> Another indicted member was accused of having plotted the death of an anti-gang activist who served as a consultant for the film '']''. The indictments marked a two-year investigation by federal, local and state law enforcement officials.<ref name="The Tech"/> | |||
In 1957, Gregory Huerta Valenzuela and Augustin Acosta, two Mexican Mafia associates and members of the ] gang, shot and killed grocer Jose Castellanos during a robbery in ].<ref name="Thugs with Spoons"> Joan Renner, '']'' (June 4, 2013) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230805175432/https://lamag.com/crimeinla/thugs-with-spoons-the-courtroom-assault-of-sergeant-ned-lovretovich |date=August 5, 2023}}</ref> On May 13, 1958, while standing trial for Castellanos' murder at the ], Valenzuela and Acosta managed to stab ] (LASD) sergeant Ned Lovretovich with sharpened spoons after Lovretovich had given testimony against the pair.<ref name="Timeline"> Scott Burnstein, GangsterReport.com (January 2, 2022) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220102080249/https://gangsterreport.com/the-ultimate-la-eme-timeline-murders-busts-brotherhood-in-the-mexican-mafia-1957-2021/ |date=January 2, 2022}}</ref> Valenzuela and Acosta were convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Castellanos and sentenced to life in state prison. They also pled guilty to assault with intent to commit murder and injury to a county employee for the stabbing of Lovretovich and were given sentences to run concurrently with their life terms.<ref name="Thugs with Spoons" /> | |||
The first murder of a prison guard by ''La eMe'' was carried out by Doroteo "Sleepy" Betancourt and Frank "Moose" Bazure at ] in June 1958.<ref name="Timeline" /> | |||
In 2006, a 36-count federal indictment was brought against members of the Mexican Mafia. The arrests were made for alleged acts of violence, drug dealing, and extortion against smaller Latino street gangs.<ref name="Union Tribune">{{cite web|url = http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20060617-9999-1n17mafia.html| title = 36 indicted in Mexican Mafia crackdown |publisher = Union Tribune|accessdate = 2006-06-17}}</ref> According to the federal indictment, Mexican Mafia members exert their influence in both federal and state prison systems through either violence or the threat of violence.<ref name="Union Tribune"/> | |||
===1970s=== | |||
Members and associates of the gang remain fiercely loyal to the criminal organization both in and outside of prison, particularly in Southern California cities such as Los Angeles and San Diego. The gang asserts its influence over Chicano gangs throughout Southern California by threatening violence against their members should they ever become incarcerated. Gangs and drug dealers who refuse to pay a protection "tax" to the Mexican Mafia are often murdered or threatened with murder.<ref name="Union Tribune"/> High-ranking members of the Mexican Mafia who are locked in private cells for 23 hours of each day are still able to communicate with their associates, through methods which range from tapping in code on prison plumbing pipes to smuggled letters.<ref name="Union Tribune"/> | |||
The first murder outside of prison that was ordered by ''La eMe'' occurred in 1971 when Mexican Mafia member Alfonso "Pachie" Alvarez was found shot twice in the head in a secluded area of ]. His offense: collecting taxes on narcotics dealers without kicking up the profits to ''eMe'' leaders behind bars, known in the gang as "Big Homies" or ''Emero''s.<ref name="Ortega" /> The person responsible for the murder was ]—the notorious white godfather of ''La eMe'' who had ascended by then to become one of the highest-ranking bosses of the entire organization, even with no "official" Mexican blood himself. His connections with cocaine and heroin suppliers in Mexico helped pave the foundation for the Mexican Mafia's narcotics distribution throughout California. During the 1970s, while under the control of Morgan's ] ], the Mexican Mafia often took control over various community groups. The gang was able to filter money from alcohol and drug prevention programs to finance their criminal activities.<ref name="Rafael" /> | |||
The Mexican Mafia and the Italian-American ] collaborated in skimming money from Get Going, a taxpayer-funded drug treatment program. By 1977, Get Going founder Ellen Delia was determined to expose the infiltration of her beloved program. Shortly before an appointment with the California State Secretary of Health and Welfare Services, Delia was murdered. Her collection of evidence on Italian and Mexican Mafia infiltration of the Get Going program was never recovered.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}} | |||
==Membership== | |||
While the Mexican Mafia is a highly-organized criminal entity, it is believed that the ] presently is not presided over by a single leader.<ref name="Union Tribune"/> ] membership of the gang is believed to consist of hundreds of members with authority to order ], and at least thousands of associates who can carry out those orders.<ref name="Union Tribune"/> | |||
===1980s=== | |||
Members of the Mexican Mafia are expected to engage in tests of their loyalty to the gang, which may include theft or murder. The penalty for refusing orders or failing to complete an assigned task is often death.<ref name="Inside Prison"/> According to the gang's constitution, members may also be punished or murdered if they commit any of four major infractions. These include becoming an ], acts of homosexuality, acts of cowardice, and showing disrespect against fellow gang members.<ref name="Inside Prison"/> According to gang policy, a member of the Mexican Mafia may not be murdered without prior approval by a ] of three members, yet the murder of non-members requires no formal approval.<ref name="Inside Prison"/> | |||
On October 14, 1984, Alfred Arthur "Chato" Sandoval, a high ranking ''eMe'' member and Arizona Maravilla gangster, shot and killed Gilbert Martinez and Anthony Aceves during a gang-related fight in Belvedere Park, ]; a third victim, Manuel Torres, survived the attack. The victims were members of the Mariana Marivilla gang. Around two weeks later, on October 31, 1984, Ray and Marlene Wells were also shot execution-style in their home in ].<ref name="2 Parolees Arrested"> Andy Furillo, '']'' (January 4, 1985) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230805024653/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-01-04-me-6577-story.html |date=August 5, 2023}}</ref> Sandoval killed Ray Wells because he believed the man had told police of the whereabouts of the car he used in the Belvedere Park murders; Marlene Wells was then killed because she had witnessed the murder of her husband. Sandoval was convicted on four counts of first-degree murder in ] and was sentenced to death for the murder of Marlene Wells, and to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murders of Martinez, Aceves and Ray Wells.<ref name="People v. Sandoval"> ] (December 14, 1992) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230107020351/https://law.justia.com/cases/california/supreme-court/4th/4/155.html |date=January 7, 2023}}</ref> On November 6, 2000, Sandoval had his death sentence for the murder of Marlene Wells overturned by the ] but remained imprisoned for life without parole.<ref name="Sandoval v. Calderon"> ] (November 6, 2000) {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20230805145608/https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/us-9th-circuit/1178832.html |date=August 5, 2023}}</ref> | |||
Two Mexican Mafiosi, the brothers Hector and Ronaldo Ayala, along with a third man, bound and then killed three others — Ernesto "Chacho" Mendez Dominguez, Marco Zamora-Villa, and Jose Luis "Cucuy" Rositas — by shooting them execution-style at the A & Z Auto Repair shop in the ] neighborhood of ] after demanding $10,000 from the men, who were allegedly involved in the heroin trade, on April 26, 1985.<ref name="Timeline" /><ref name="Story Behind the Story"> Jim Schachter, '']'' (November 21, 1986) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230805194535/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-11-21-me-14720-story.html |date=August 5, 2023}}</ref> A fourth shooting victim, Pedro "Pete" Castillo, survived and identified the Ayala brothers as the killers.<ref name="San"> '']'' (December 13, 1988) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230805162816/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-12-13-me-82-story.html |date=August 5, 2023}}</ref><ref name="Diego"> '']'' (May 31, 1989) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230805195051/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-05-31-me-931-story.html |date=August 5, 2023}}</ref> Ronaldo Ayala was convicted of three counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, robbery, and attempted robbery, on October 12, 1988, and sentenced to be executed in the gas chamber at San Quentin State Prison, on February 9, 1989.<ref name="Executioner"> '']'' (February 10, 1989) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230805162809/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-02-10-me-2458-story.html |date=August 5, 2023}}</ref> Hector Ayala, who stood trial separately, was convicted on the same charges, on August 1, 1989 and also sentenced to death, on November 17, 1989.<ref name="Jurors Call for Death"> '']'' (September 1, 1989) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230805193639/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-09-01-mn-1371-story.html |date=August 5, 2023}}</ref> The third defendant, Joseph Moreno, was acquitted of all charges.<ref name="1985 murder case"> Kristina Davis, '']'' (October 22, 2014) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181007224633/https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-ayala-murder-supreme-court-jury-petition-2014oct22-story.html |date=October 7, 2018}}</ref> | |||
During the early 1960s at ], Luis Flores and Rudy "Cheyenne" Cadena established a blood oath for members of the Mexican Mafia.<ref name="Police Magazine"/> Prior to the establishment of the oath, members of the Mexican Mafia were allowed to return to their street gangs after incarceration. The new oath stipulated that the only way for a member to leave the Mexican Mafia was to be killed.<ref name="Police Magazine"/> Flores and Cadena also established a set of gang commandments.<ref name="Police Magazine"/> These included policies such as: a new member must be sponsored by an existing member, unanimous approval from all existing members to join (no longer policy), prioritizing the gang over one's family, denial of the existence of the Mexican Mafia to law enforcement or non-members, respect of other members, forgiving street conflicts which existed before incarceration. Execution of a member of the gang for policy violation must be committed by the gang member who sponsored him.<ref name="Police Magazine"/> | |||
===1990s=== | |||
While mostly found in ], the Mexican Mafia has a membership which extends to other states including ], ], and ].<ref name="Modern Prison Gangs"/> | |||
On July 16, 1991, Mexican Mafia members Benjamin "Topo" Peters and ] stabbed another ''eMe'' member, Salvador "Mon" Buenrostro, at the ]. Buenrostro, who survived the attack despite being stabbed 26 times, was targeted because he had sided against ] in internal gang affairs.<ref name="Supreme Court" /> | |||
Mexican Mafia member Charles "Charlie Brown" Manriquez was targeted for death by the gang when he was accused of cowardice after failing to carry out a prearranged stabbing on another inmate at the ] in 1991. Manriquez was fatally shot to death by ''La eMe'' hitman David "Smilon" Gallardo in the ] housing project in the ] neighborhood of Los Angeles, on March 25, 1992.<ref name="Supreme Court" /> | |||
==Allies and rivals== | |||
The Mexican Mafia is the controlling organization for almost every Chicano gang in Southern California. Members of almost all Chicano gangs in Southern California are obligated under the threat of death to carry out any and all orders from made Mexican Mafia members. The Mexican Mafia also holds a loose alliance with the ], mainly due to their common rivals within the prison system. | |||
In 1998, United States federal authorities indicted 22 members and associates of the Mexican Mafia, charged under the federal ] Act with crimes which included extortion, murder, and kidnapping.<ref name="The Tech">{{cite web |url=http://tech.mit.edu/V115/N22/MafiaHanded.22w.html |title=Mafia Handed 22 Indictments in LA |publisher=The Tech |date=May 2, 1995 |access-date=April 14, 2009 |archive-date=November 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124154057/http://tech.mit.edu/V115/N22/MafiaHanded.22w.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> One of the arrested members, Benjamin "Topo" Peters (Arizona Maravilla), was allegedly the Mexican Mafia's highest-ranking member at the time, and was engaged in a power struggle with fellow member Ruben "Tupi" Hernandez (] – ]).<ref name="The Tech" /> Another indicted member was accused of having plotted the death of an anti-gang activist who served as a consultant for the film '']''. The indictments marked a two-year investigation by federal, local, and state law enforcement officials.<ref name="The Tech" /> | |||
The primary rivals of the Mexican Mafia are ].<ref name="Prison Gangs">{{cite web|url = http://www.dc.state.fl.us/pub/gangs/prison2.html| title = Gang and Security Threat Group Awareness|publisher = Florida Department of Corrections|accessdate = 2008-03-22}}</ref> The Mexican Mafia is also a rival of the ] prison gang, which holds a loose alliance with Nuestra Familia.<ref name="Prison Gangs"/> | |||
== |
===2000s=== | ||
Mike "Acha" Ison, a Mexican Mafia leader described by '']'' writer Julian Guthrie as "a small man with a giant reputation who had survived 30 years in California's toughest prisons", was beaten to death by three or four people armed with ]s after he was involved in a bar fight at Grady's Bar in the ] of ], on March 25, 2001.<ref name="Former Gang Leader Killed"> Julian Guthrie, '']'' (March 25, 2001) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101111515/https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Former-Prison-Gang-Leader-Killed-on-Street-Pool-2938860.php |date=January 1, 2016 }}</ref> | |||
Mexican Mafia symbols include images of a black hand.<ref name="Union Tribune"/> The gang's primary symbol, which is often used in tattoos by members, is the national symbol of Mexico (eagle and a snake) atop a flaming circle over crossed knives.<ref name="Inside Prison"/> | |||
In 2006, a 36-count federal indictment was brought against members of the Mexican Mafia. The arrests were made for alleged acts of violence, drug dealing, and extortion against smaller Latino street gangs. According to the federal indictment, Mexican Mafia members exert their influence in both federal and state prison systems through either violence or the threat of violence. Members and associates of the gang remain fiercely loyal to the criminal organization both in and outside of prison, particularly in Southern California cities such as Los Angeles and San Diego. The gang asserts its influence over Chicano gangs throughout Southern California by threatening violence against their members should they ever become incarcerated. Gangs and drug dealers who refuse to pay a protection "tax" to the Mexican Mafia are often murdered or threatened with murder. High-ranking members of the Mexican Mafia who are locked in private cells for 23 hours of each day are still able to communicate with their associates, through methods which range from tapping in code on prison plumbing pipes to smuggled letters. The primary goal of the Mexican Mafia is to control all drug trafficking in all areas that they have been established.<ref name="Lyman" /> | |||
Street gangs that are aligned with the Mexican Mafia often use the number 13 as a gang identifier, as the letter "M" is the 13th letter of the modern Latin-derived alphabet.<ref name="Police Magazine"/> | |||
===2010s=== | |||
In early 2012 there was a federal indictment of 119 ] gang members, including a Mexican Mafia boss that was arrested in a raid of his ] home, which portrays a sprawling, well-organized criminal network that ran drug dealing on the streets of North County and even extended inside the Vista jail.<ref name="Lowrey">Lowrey, B. (January 29, 2012). Exclusive: Gang bust gives rare glimpse of Mexican mafia's grip on north county. North County Times. Retrieved from http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/sdcounty/exclusive-gang-bust-gives-rare-glimpse-of-mexican-mafia-s/article_cedea095-3c04-58ef-9479-83271b971789.html</ref> Rudy "Crazy" Espudo (Esco Varrio Diablos – ]) was in control of the Hispanic gangs in the area and forced drug dealers to pay taxes in tribute to La eMe or face the consequences.<ref name="Lowrey" /> The local gangs were smuggling narcotics into the Vista Detention Center in order to sell them for the Mexican Mafia. On North County streets, ''La eMe'' ordered Surenos to obtain taxes from the local ]s.<ref name="Lowrey" /> Members of the ] gang, associated with the Mexican Mafia, were indicted in 2011 for harassing and intimidating black people in Southern California.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/latino-gang-charged-racial-cleansing-california-town/story?id=13794815#.T6fkGlI4SuJ|title=Latino Gang Charged With Racial Cleansing Attacks in California Town|last=Ng|first=Christina|date=June 9, 2011|publisher=]|access-date=May 7, 2012}}</ref> | |||
===2020s=== | |||
On January 31, 2022, a fight broke out between members of the Mexican Mafia and ] at ], Texas, causing two fatalities and leading to all U.S. federal prisons being placed on lockdown due to fears of retaliatory attacks.<ref>{{cite web |title=All US federal prisons in lockdown after deadly gang fight |website=BBC News |date=2022-02-01 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-60090865 |access-date=2022-02-01}}</ref> | |||
A joint investigation by the ] (LAPD) and the ] (FBI) into the Westside Wilmas gang in the ] commenced in October 2022 and culminated with the arrests of 12 Mexican Mafia members and the seizure of 23 firearms, 57.7 pounds of methamphetamine, approximately 23,000 fentanyl pills, 5.2 pounds of powdered fentanyl and 2.2 pounds of cocaine as search warrants were executed in the ] and as far as ], on May 17, 2023.<ref name="12 arrests"> Alexa Mae Asperin, ] (May 17, 2023) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230531023847/https://www.foxla.com/news/los-angeles-mexican-mafia-arrests-lapd-fbi |date=May 31, 2023}}</ref> | |||
==In popular culture== | ==In popular culture== | ||
The Mexican Mafia received mainstream notoriety after being featured in the 1992 movie '']''. |
The Mexican Mafia received mainstream notoriety after being featured in the 1992 movie '']''. The film was co-produced, directed and starred in by actor ], who allegedly received death threats by members of the Mexican Mafia for what they considered an unflattering depiction of the gang.<ref name="Entertainment Weekly">{{cite web |url=https://ew.com/article/1993/07/23/edward-james-olmos-stalked-mexican-mafia/ |title=An 'American' tale |publisher=Entertainment Weekly |date=July 23, 1993}}</ref> Two consultants for the film were murdered shortly after the film's release, though it is unclear whether the murders were tied to the Mexican Mafia or to recent layoffs that had provoked death threats.<ref name="Entertainment Weekly" /> The Mexican Mafia was allegedly displeased with the portrayal of the murder of ] (who was the basis for Olmos' character Santana) as being committed by his fellow gang members.<ref name="Entertainment Weekly" /> Mexican Mafia members were also allegedly offended by the portrayal of a homosexual rape committed by Puppet, a Mexican Mafia character in the film who in the latter part of the movie murders his own brother, Li'l Puppet, for disrespecting ''La eMe''. Olmos subsequently applied for a concealed handgun permit, which was denied.<ref>{{cite web|last=Walker |first=Michael |url=https://ew.com/article/1993/07/23/edward-james-olmos-stalked-mexican-mafia/ |title=EW.com |publisher=EW.com |date=July 23, 1993 |access-date=June 28, 2011}}</ref> | ||
While serving a life sentence for murder at ], ], filed a $500,000 lawsuit against Olmos, Universal Studios, and other producers of the film. Morgan claimed that one of the principal characters in the film was based on him without obtaining his permission.<ref name="Entertainment Weekly" /> | |||
The 1993 film '']'' is loosely based on the Mexican Mafia, although the story is fictional. The protagonist Miklo Velka is largely based on ], being white and having lost his leg from getting shot during a robbery (one of the rumored ways that Morgan lost his). The prison gangs named in the film are in turn inspired by real-life counterparts: La Onda (Mexican Mafia), Black Guerilla Army (]), and Aryan Vanguard (]). | |||
Joe Morgan, while serving a life sentence for murder at ], filed a $500,000 lawsuit against Olmos, Universal Studios and other producers of the film. Morgan claimed that one of the principal characters in the film was based on him without obtaining his permission.<ref name="Entertainment Weekly"/> | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
{{ |
{{Portal|Law|United States}} | ||
* ] | * ] | ||
* ] | * ] | ||
* ] | * ] | ||
* ] | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{Ibid|date=October 2011}} | |||
{{reflist}} | {{reflist}} | ||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
* | * | ||
* | |||
* 1995 Indictment Details | |||
* ''BBC Radio 4'' 11 September 2008 | |||
{{Mexican Drug War}} | |||
==Bibliography== | |||
] | |||
* {{cite book |last1=Christie |first1=George |title=Exile on Front Street: My Life as a Hells Angel |date=2016 |publisher=Thomas Dunne Books |location=New York City |isbn=9780283072666}} | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
{{Sureños}} | |||
] | |||
{{Organized crime groups in the United States}} | |||
] | |||
{{Organized crime groups in Los Angeles}} | |||
] | |||
{{Authority control}} | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | ] | ||
] | |||
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Latest revision as of 13:25, 10 December 2024
Mexican American criminal organization This article is about the U.S. criminal organization. For criminal organizations in Mexico, see Category:Organized crime groups in Mexico and Drug cartels § Mexico. Criminal organizationThe primary symbol used by La eMe | |
Founded | 1957; 68 years ago (1957) |
---|---|
Founder | Luis "Huero Buff" Flores |
Founding location | Deuel Vocational Institution, California, United States |
Years active | 1957–present |
Territory | West Coast and Southwestern United States, and throughout the federal prison system and California prison system |
Ethnicity | Mexican American |
Membership | 250-300 "made" members |
Activities | Drug trafficking, extortion, illegal gambling, prostitution, assault and murder |
Allies | |
Rivals |
|
Notable members |
The Mexican Mafia (Spanish: Mafia Mexicana), also known as La eMe (Spanish for "the M"), is a predominantly Mexican American prison gang and criminal organization in the United States. Despite its name, the Mexican Mafia has no origins in Mexico and is entirely a U.S. organization. Law enforcement officials report that the Mexican Mafia is the deadliest and most powerful gang within the California prison system.
Government officials state that there are currently 350–500 official members of the Mexican Mafia with thousands of hitmen and associates within prison and an estimate of more than 50,000 loyal foot soldiers who also carry out its illegal activities on the streets in the hopes of becoming full members. The Mexican Mafia has immense influence and control over every Hispanic street gang in Southern California, including the notoriously brutal MS-13 and 18th Street Gang, since in the prison system inmates are recruited into gangs based on race regardless of street gang affiliation. The U.S. Government considers the Mexican Mafia to be "among the most powerful, dangerous and feared criminal organizations in the world".
History
The Mexican Mafia was formed in 1957 by thirteen Hispanic street gang members from different Los Angeles neighborhoods who were incarcerated at the Deuel Vocational Institution, a California Youth Authority facility, which is now an adult state prison in Tracy, California. The founding members formed the gang in order to protect Hispanic inmates from other prison gangs. One of the founders of La eMe is Luis "Huero Buff" Flores, who was an active member of the Barrio Hawaiian Gardens gang in Hawaiian Gardens, California. Gang warfare between Hispanic neighborhoods was the norm during the 1950s and 60s, so the fact that Luis Flores was able to get established enemies to set aside their rivalry upon entry into the prison system was something that was not thought possible. This requirement exists to the present day. Hispanic street gangs like White Fence, The Avenues, Clanton 14, Hawaiian Gardens, Varrio Nuevo Estrada, and Primera Flats, were already into their second decade and firmly established as self-sustaining entities. Luis Flores initially recruited violent members to the gang in an attempt to create a highly feared organization which could control the black market activities of the Deuel prison facilities. La eMe member Ramon "Mundo" Mendoza claims that in the beginning the overall goal was to terrorize the prison system and enjoy prison comforts while doing time. It is said that the name "Mexican Mafia" was to show organization similar to the American Mafia but it was later changed so as not to be confused with it. Furthermore, the black hand symbol was a reference to the Black Hand of the early 20th century.
Rise
By 1961, violence got so bad at the Deuel Vocational Institution that administrators transferred a number of the charter La eMe members to San Quentin Penitentiary in the hopes of discouraging their violent behavior. This tactic failed. Cheyenne Cadena arrived on the lower yard of San Quentin and was met by a six-foot-five, 300-pound black inmate who kissed him. Cadena returned a short time later, walked up to the unsuspecting predator, and stabbed him to death with a jailhouse knife, or shiv. Despite there being more than a thousand inmates on the yard, no witnesses stepped forward.
A string of other slayings soon followed as Mexican Mafia members sought to establish a reputation among the inmates of San Quentin. The Mexican Mafia's quest for complete control alienated many other Mexican-American inmates who were fed up with Mexican Mafia stabbing, killing, and stealing their watches, rings, cigarettes and anything else of value. Some of them secretly founded a new prison gang called Nuestra Familia (NF) or "Our Family." It was first established in the mid-1960s at the California Correctional Training Facility in Soledad. Some of the early members were from the Los Angeles area, but NF soon drew inmates primarily from rural communities in Northern California. The Mexican Mafia saw Nuestra Familia as inferior and "just a bunch of farmers", or farmeros. However, in 1968 at San Quentin, a full-scale riot broke out after a Mexican Mafia soldier, or soldado, stole a pair of shoes from a Nuestra Familia sympathizer. Nineteen inmates were stabbed and one La eMe associate ended up dead. The battle became known as the "Shoe War" and it established Nuestra Familia as the major La eMe rival.
The Mexican Mafia gained significant power and control over illegal activities in the California prison system by using violence. The gang also extended its influence outside the prison system when members who were released from custody began taking control of narcotics distribution in parts of Southern California, primarily by "taxing" drug dealers.
New Mexican Mafia
La eMe should not be confused with the New Mexican Mafia. Around 1974, a group of Hispanic inmates at Arizona State Prison, Florence, formed a prison gang known as the Mexican Mafia. Arizona Department of Corrections officials at that time obtained information that this group patterned themselves after the California Mexican Mafia which had been in existence for several years. Several Hispanics who came into the Arizona Prison System brought the concept and philosophy of the California Mexican Mafia. In 1978 the Mexican Mafia split into two organizations. One kept the original philosophy and structure and currently refer to themselves as the Original Mexican Mafia, "Califas Faction", "EME". The other, which came into prominence in 1984 and refer to themselves as the New Mexican Mafia. Many assaults and murders of members of both groups have occurred as a result of each organization claiming the title of "Mexican Mafia" within the Arizona prison system. They have created their own rules and regulations and have established an organizational structure. Each member is allowed to vote on issues regarding membership and leadership. The leader, approved by the members, has the power to solely decide important issues.
Culture
Law enforcement believes that La eMe presently is not presided over by a single leader. Many Mexican Mafia members have the authority to order murders and oversee various other criminal activities. They have almost a thousand associates that help carry out those orders and have the theoretical control of all Sureño gang members. Members are expected to engage in tests of their loyalty to La eMe, which may include theft or murder. The penalty for refusing orders or failing to complete an assigned task is often death. According to the gang's constitution, members may also be punished or murdered if they commit any of four major infractions. These include becoming an informant, acts of homosexuality, acts of cowardice, and showing disrespect against fellow gang members. According to gang policy, a member of the Mexican Mafia may not be murdered without prior approval by a vote of three members, yet the murder of non-members requires no formal approval.
During the early 1960s at San Quentin Prison, Luis "Huero Buff" Flores and Rudy "Cheyenne" Cadena established a blood oath for members of the Mexican Mafia. Prior to the establishment of the oath, members of the Mexican Mafia were allowed to return to their street gangs after incarceration. The new oath stipulated that the only way for a member to leave the Mexican Mafia was to be killed. Flores and Cadena also established a set of gang commandments. These included policies such as: a new member must be sponsored by an existing member, unanimous approval from all existing members to join (no longer policy), prioritizing the gang over one's family, denial of the existence of the Mexican Mafia to law enforcement or non-members, respect of other members, and forgiving street conflicts which existed before incarceration. Execution of a member of the gang for policy violation must be committed by the gang member who sponsored him. La eMe has a blood-in, blood-out policy: murder or drawing of blood is a prerequisite for membership and anyone trying to get out will be killed.
Rules
- A member may not be an informant.
- A member may not be a coward.
The rules of conduct are:
- A member may not raise a hand against another member without approval from the higher-ups and leaders.
- A member must not show disrespect for any member's family, including sex with another member's wife, or girlfriend.
- A member must not steal from another member.
- A member may not be homosexual, sex offender, child killer, child molester, or rapist.
- A member must not politic against another member or cause dissension within the organization.
- Membership is for life, the only way out is death.
- Retaliation must be carried out if anyone crosses La eMe, no exceptions.
- Vendetta must be carried out, even if it takes months, years, or decades.
- If a member of La eMe gets harmed or killed by someone else such as police, or another criminal gang, retaliation must be immediate, and must be swift, brutal and deadly.
- It is mandatory to assault/kill all dropouts and traitors.
- La eMe comes first. Even before your own family, religion and god.
- A member must not interfere with another member's business activities.
- A member must never harm children.
- A member must always treat another member's family with respect and kindness.
- A member must protect another member from harm.
- A member must treat another member like a brother.
Allies and rivals
The Mexican Mafia is the controlling organization for almost every Hispanic gang in Southern California, and some gangs located in Central and Northern California, with their vassal gangs being called Sureños. Members of almost all Hispanic gangs in Southern California are obliged under the threat of death to carry out any and all orders from made Mexican Mafia members. The Mexican Mafia also holds a loose alliance with the Aryan Brotherhood, mainly due to their common rivals within the prison system.
The primary rivals of the Mexican Mafia are Nuestra Familia. The Mexican Mafia is also a rival of the Black Guerrilla Family prison gang, which holds a loose alliance with La Nuestra Familia. Bloods and Crips are the new enemies.
Symbols
Mexican Mafia symbols include images of a black hand. The gang's primary symbol, which is often used in tattoos by members, is the national symbol of Mexico (eagle and a snake) atop a flaming circle over crossed knives. Street gangs that are aligned with the Mexican Mafia often use the number 13 as a gang identifier, as the letter "M" is the 13th letter of the modern Latin-derived alphabet.
Criminal activities
According to the FBI, the Mexican Mafia had arranged for contract killings to be carried out by the Aryan Brotherhood, a white prison gang. The Mexican Mafia and the Aryan Brotherhood are mutual enemies of the Norteños and the African-American gangs Black Guerrilla Family and D.C. Blacks. Even though homosexuals are barred from entry into La eMe, they are engaged heavily in homosexual prostitution in the prison system. Many of the street level homicides in the Highland Park area of Los Angeles committed by the Avenues gang were done on orders issued by the Mexican Mafia.
The Mexican Mafia is involved in a variety of criminal activities both inside and outside the prison system, but its main source of income is extorting drug distributors outside prison and distributing various narcotics within and outside the prison system. In 1992, an example of La eMe's influence and power over Sureños was made clear to law enforcement. Joe "Pegleg" Morgan, a prominent Mexican Mafia leader, ordered that no more drive-by shootings and violence were to take place by Sureños. Between April, when the edict was announced, and September 1992 there were no drive-by shootings in East Los Angeles, an area that was notorious for violence and drive-bys.
1950s
In 1957, Gregory Huerta Valenzuela and Augustin Acosta, two Mexican Mafia associates and members of the White Fence gang, shot and killed grocer Jose Castellanos during a robbery in East Los Angeles. On May 13, 1958, while standing trial for Castellanos' murder at the Hall of Justice, Valenzuela and Acosta managed to stab Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) sergeant Ned Lovretovich with sharpened spoons after Lovretovich had given testimony against the pair. Valenzuela and Acosta were convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Castellanos and sentenced to life in state prison. They also pled guilty to assault with intent to commit murder and injury to a county employee for the stabbing of Lovretovich and were given sentences to run concurrently with their life terms.
The first murder of a prison guard by La eMe was carried out by Doroteo "Sleepy" Betancourt and Frank "Moose" Bazure at San Quentin State Prison in June 1958.
1970s
The first murder outside of prison that was ordered by La eMe occurred in 1971 when Mexican Mafia member Alfonso "Pachie" Alvarez was found shot twice in the head in a secluded area of Monterey Park. His offense: collecting taxes on narcotics dealers without kicking up the profits to eMe leaders behind bars, known in the gang as "Big Homies" or Emeros. The person responsible for the murder was Joe "Pegleg" Morgan—the notorious white godfather of La eMe who had ascended by then to become one of the highest-ranking bosses of the entire organization, even with no "official" Mexican blood himself. His connections with cocaine and heroin suppliers in Mexico helped pave the foundation for the Mexican Mafia's narcotics distribution throughout California. During the 1970s, while under the control of Morgan's protégé Rodolfo Cadena, the Mexican Mafia often took control over various community groups. The gang was able to filter money from alcohol and drug prevention programs to finance their criminal activities.
The Mexican Mafia and the Italian-American Los Angeles crime family collaborated in skimming money from Get Going, a taxpayer-funded drug treatment program. By 1977, Get Going founder Ellen Delia was determined to expose the infiltration of her beloved program. Shortly before an appointment with the California State Secretary of Health and Welfare Services, Delia was murdered. Her collection of evidence on Italian and Mexican Mafia infiltration of the Get Going program was never recovered.
1980s
On October 14, 1984, Alfred Arthur "Chato" Sandoval, a high ranking eMe member and Arizona Maravilla gangster, shot and killed Gilbert Martinez and Anthony Aceves during a gang-related fight in Belvedere Park, East Los Angeles; a third victim, Manuel Torres, survived the attack. The victims were members of the Mariana Marivilla gang. Around two weeks later, on October 31, 1984, Ray and Marlene Wells were also shot execution-style in their home in Baldwin Park. Sandoval killed Ray Wells because he believed the man had told police of the whereabouts of the car he used in the Belvedere Park murders; Marlene Wells was then killed because she had witnessed the murder of her husband. Sandoval was convicted on four counts of first-degree murder in Los Angeles County Superior Court and was sentenced to death for the murder of Marlene Wells, and to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murders of Martinez, Aceves and Ray Wells. On November 6, 2000, Sandoval had his death sentence for the murder of Marlene Wells overturned by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals but remained imprisoned for life without parole.
Two Mexican Mafiosi, the brothers Hector and Ronaldo Ayala, along with a third man, bound and then killed three others — Ernesto "Chacho" Mendez Dominguez, Marco Zamora-Villa, and Jose Luis "Cucuy" Rositas — by shooting them execution-style at the A & Z Auto Repair shop in the Logan Heights neighborhood of Southeast San Diego after demanding $10,000 from the men, who were allegedly involved in the heroin trade, on April 26, 1985. A fourth shooting victim, Pedro "Pete" Castillo, survived and identified the Ayala brothers as the killers. Ronaldo Ayala was convicted of three counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, robbery, and attempted robbery, on October 12, 1988, and sentenced to be executed in the gas chamber at San Quentin State Prison, on February 9, 1989. Hector Ayala, who stood trial separately, was convicted on the same charges, on August 1, 1989 and also sentenced to death, on November 17, 1989. The third defendant, Joseph Moreno, was acquitted of all charges.
1990s
On July 16, 1991, Mexican Mafia members Benjamin "Topo" Peters and Rene "Boxer" Enriquez stabbed another eMe member, Salvador "Mon" Buenrostro, at the Los Angeles County Jail. Buenrostro, who survived the attack despite being stabbed 26 times, was targeted because he had sided against Joe "Pegleg" Morgan in internal gang affairs.
Mexican Mafia member Charles "Charlie Brown" Manriquez was targeted for death by the gang when he was accused of cowardice after failing to carry out a prearranged stabbing on another inmate at the Chino State Prison in 1991. Manriquez was fatally shot to death by La eMe hitman David "Smilon" Gallardo in the Ramona Gardens housing project in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, on March 25, 1992.
In 1998, United States federal authorities indicted 22 members and associates of the Mexican Mafia, charged under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act with crimes which included extortion, murder, and kidnapping. One of the arrested members, Benjamin "Topo" Peters (Arizona Maravilla), was allegedly the Mexican Mafia's highest-ranking member at the time, and was engaged in a power struggle with fellow member Ruben "Tupi" Hernandez (Onterio Varrio Sur – Ontario, California). Another indicted member was accused of having plotted the death of an anti-gang activist who served as a consultant for the film American Me. The indictments marked a two-year investigation by federal, local, and state law enforcement officials.
2000s
Mike "Acha" Ison, a Mexican Mafia leader described by San Francisco Chronicle writer Julian Guthrie as "a small man with a giant reputation who had survived 30 years in California's toughest prisons", was beaten to death by three or four people armed with pool cues after he was involved in a bar fight at Grady's Bar in the Mission District of San Francisco, on March 25, 2001.
In 2006, a 36-count federal indictment was brought against members of the Mexican Mafia. The arrests were made for alleged acts of violence, drug dealing, and extortion against smaller Latino street gangs. According to the federal indictment, Mexican Mafia members exert their influence in both federal and state prison systems through either violence or the threat of violence. Members and associates of the gang remain fiercely loyal to the criminal organization both in and outside of prison, particularly in Southern California cities such as Los Angeles and San Diego. The gang asserts its influence over Chicano gangs throughout Southern California by threatening violence against their members should they ever become incarcerated. Gangs and drug dealers who refuse to pay a protection "tax" to the Mexican Mafia are often murdered or threatened with murder. High-ranking members of the Mexican Mafia who are locked in private cells for 23 hours of each day are still able to communicate with their associates, through methods which range from tapping in code on prison plumbing pipes to smuggled letters. The primary goal of the Mexican Mafia is to control all drug trafficking in all areas that they have been established.
2010s
In early 2012 there was a federal indictment of 119 San Diego County gang members, including a Mexican Mafia boss that was arrested in a raid of his San Marcos home, which portrays a sprawling, well-organized criminal network that ran drug dealing on the streets of North County and even extended inside the Vista jail. Rudy "Crazy" Espudo (Esco Varrio Diablos – Escondido, California) was in control of the Hispanic gangs in the area and forced drug dealers to pay taxes in tribute to La eMe or face the consequences. The local gangs were smuggling narcotics into the Vista Detention Center in order to sell them for the Mexican Mafia. On North County streets, La eMe ordered Surenos to obtain taxes from the local drug dealers. Members of the Azusa 13 gang, associated with the Mexican Mafia, were indicted in 2011 for harassing and intimidating black people in Southern California.
2020s
On January 31, 2022, a fight broke out between members of the Mexican Mafia and MS-13 at United States Penitentiary, Beaumont, Texas, causing two fatalities and leading to all U.S. federal prisons being placed on lockdown due to fears of retaliatory attacks.
A joint investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) into the Westside Wilmas gang in the Los Angeles Harbor Region commenced in October 2022 and culminated with the arrests of 12 Mexican Mafia members and the seizure of 23 firearms, 57.7 pounds of methamphetamine, approximately 23,000 fentanyl pills, 5.2 pounds of powdered fentanyl and 2.2 pounds of cocaine as search warrants were executed in the South Bay and as far as Bakersfield, on May 17, 2023.
In popular culture
The Mexican Mafia received mainstream notoriety after being featured in the 1992 movie American Me. The film was co-produced, directed and starred in by actor Edward James Olmos, who allegedly received death threats by members of the Mexican Mafia for what they considered an unflattering depiction of the gang. Two consultants for the film were murdered shortly after the film's release, though it is unclear whether the murders were tied to the Mexican Mafia or to recent layoffs that had provoked death threats. The Mexican Mafia was allegedly displeased with the portrayal of the murder of Rodolfo Cadena (who was the basis for Olmos' character Santana) as being committed by his fellow gang members. Mexican Mafia members were also allegedly offended by the portrayal of a homosexual rape committed by Puppet, a Mexican Mafia character in the film who in the latter part of the movie murders his own brother, Li'l Puppet, for disrespecting La eMe. Olmos subsequently applied for a concealed handgun permit, which was denied. While serving a life sentence for murder at Pelican Bay State Prison, Joe "Pegleg" Morgan, filed a $500,000 lawsuit against Olmos, Universal Studios, and other producers of the film. Morgan claimed that one of the principal characters in the film was based on him without obtaining his permission.
The 1993 film Blood In Blood Out is loosely based on the Mexican Mafia, although the story is fictional. The protagonist Miklo Velka is largely based on Joe "Pegleg" Morgan, being white and having lost his leg from getting shot during a robbery (one of the rumored ways that Morgan lost his). The prison gangs named in the film are in turn inspired by real-life counterparts: La Onda (Mexican Mafia), Black Guerilla Army (Black Guerilla Family), and Aryan Vanguard (Aryan Brotherhood).
See also
References
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{{cite web}}
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External links
Bibliography
- Christie, George (2016). Exile on Front Street: My Life as a Hells Angel. New York City: Thomas Dunne Books. ISBN 9780283072666.
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