‘Mexican Mafia’ crackdown results in 85 arrests in Southern California
AGENDA 21 RADIO
A major gang crackdown aimed at so-called Mexican Mafia operations in Orange County, Calif., has led to 85 arrests of “middle management” gang leaders, officials said Wednesday.
The three-month investigation, dubbed “Operation Scarecrow,” was one of the largest operations in county history, Orange County Undersheriff Don Barnes told the Orange County Register.
Authorities confiscated 36 firearms, 14 pounds of methamphetamine and three pounds of heroin, the report said.
The investigation was also the largest crackdown on gang activity in California this year, the OC Breeze reported.
The name “Operation Scarecrow” came from its connection to a Mexican Mafia shot-caller with the street moniker “Crow,” the Register reported.
The investigation targeted the Surenos street gang and its criminal activities directed by the Mexican Mafia, the report said.
“We will continue to hold accountable those who terrorize our communities and jeopardize our public safety,” California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said, according to the Register. “All families in California deserve to know that their loved ones, especially their children, are safe.”
“We will continue to hold accountable those who terrorize our communities and jeopardize our public safety.”
The operation was a joint effort involving the California Department of Justice, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and the California Highway Patrol, Becerra said.
#OCSDPIO PRESS RELEASE: Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens today announced the arrest of 85 people, and the seizure of firearms and drugs as part of an investigation of the Mexican Mafia operating in Orange County. pic.twitter.com/N8XjLLaYve
— OC Sheriff, CA (@OCSD) May 2, 2018
“The success of this operation highlights the importance of collaborative partnerships amongst law enforcement agencies,” Sheriff Sandra Hutchens said in a statement. “The shared communication amongst our respective agencies have resulted in the removal of significant threats from our community. My hope is that these actions will send a message to criminal gangs that you are not welcome in Orange County.”
Prosecutors have filed charges in 31 cases in Orange County and two in Los Angeles, including weapon and drug violations, conspiracy, fraud and criminal street gang enhancements, the report said.
However, Barnes said the arrests were a “drop in the bucket” compared to the organization’s “mass control over street gangs statewide,” the Register reported.
“We share this information not to scare the public but to remind the residents of Orange County that this is a reality we face,” he said. “Criminal gang enterprises still continue to prey upon our community and we have to do everything we can to fight back.”
By KELLY PUENTE | kpuente@scng.com |
Orange County Register
A major gang crackdown involving a variety of state and local agencies, and aimed at disrupting Mexican Mafia operations in Orange County, has yielded 85 arrests and taken “middle management” gang leaders off the streets, officials announced Wednesday.
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said at a news conference in Santa Ana that the three-month investigation, dubbed “Operation Scarecrow,” was a joint effort that teamed up the state Department of Justice, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and the California Highway Patrol.
The investigation focused on the Sureños street gang in Orange County and its criminal activities directed by the Mexican Mafia. In addition to the arrests, the operation netted 36 firearms, 14 pounds of methamphetamine and three pounds of heroin.
“We will continue to hold accountable those who terrorize our communities and jeopardize our public safety,” Becerra said. “All families in California deserve to know that their loved ones, especially their children, are safe.”
Orange County Undersheriff Don Barnes said the operation – one of the largest in county history – resulted in the arrests of many “middle management” gang members and prevented a number of violent crimes, including an attempted murder in Placentia.
So far, prosecutors have filed charges in 31 cases in Orange County and two in Los Angeles. The charges include weapons and drug violations, conspiracy, forgery, fraud and criminal street gang enhancements.
While the effort can disrupt Mexican Mafia operations, the arrests are a “drop in the bucket” compared to organization’s mass control over street gangs statewide, Barnes said.
“We share this information not to scare the public but to remind the residents of Orange County that this is a reality we face,” he said. “Criminal gang enterprises still continue to prey upon our community and we have to do everything we can to fight back.”
Barnes said the operation stemmed from an investigation into the shooting death of a man in San Juan Capistrano on Christmas Day in 2016. The case has not yet been solved, but the victim’s alleged gang ties led investigators into a network of criminal activity, he said.
Authorities said the investigation was dubbed “Operation Scarecrow” because of its connection to a Mexican Mafia shot-caller with the street moniker “Crow.”
