{"id":12107,"date":"2015-05-19T14:15:43","date_gmt":"2015-05-19T21:15:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=12107"},"modified":"2015-05-19T14:15:43","modified_gmt":"2015-05-19T21:15:43","slug":"leader-of-a-violent-street-gang-i-know-how-it-feels-to-be-a-ceo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=12107","title":{"rendered":"Leader of a Violent Street Gang: “I know how it feels to be a CEO.\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

How Law Enforcement Took Down the Leader of Violent California Gang Who Trafficked in Drugs and Firearms.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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FBI BLOG (May 19, 2015)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"Luis<\/a>Luis Manuel Tapia<\/strong> was a high-powered leader of one of Ventura County\u2019s largest and deadliest gangs\u2014the Colonia Chiques. <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

He was often heard encouraging younger gang members to assault rival gang members, kill suspected informants, enhance the gang\u2019s drug and weapons trafficking operations, and maintain territorial dominance by any means possible.<\/span><\/p>\n

But after an extensive investigation by the Ventura County Violent Crimes Task Force<\/strong>\u2014made up of FBI agents and officers from the Oxnard and Ventura Police Departments\u2014Tapia, 39, was convicted by a federal grand jury in Los Angeles <\/a>and sentenced last month<\/span> to six life terms without parole plus an additional 55-year consecutive term.<\/span><\/p>\n

Four other key Colonia Chiques members and associates who were charged with Tapia previously pled guilty. A fifth person charged is a fugitive believed to be in Mexico.<\/span><\/p>\n

Colonia Chiques Aligned with Mexican Mafia<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Colonia Chiques became the focus of the Ventura County Violent Crimes Task Force because of the vast number of violent crimes committed by its members and because of the group\u2019s alignment with the extremely violent Mexican Mafia, a powerful gang within the California prison system. <\/span><\/p>\n

In return for helping the Mexican Mafia carry out its illegal activities (involving drugs, weapons, etc.) inside and outside prison walls, Hispanic gangs like the Colonia Chiques who align themselves with the Mexican Mafia get a cut of the group\u2019s illegal profits and are promised protection when their members find themselves behind bars. <\/span><\/p>\n

Tapia\u2019s relationship with the Mexican Mafia helped him import high-quality, often deadly drugs from Mexico.<\/span><\/p>\n

In Ventura County and surrounding areas, Colonia Chiques members were involved in a wide variety of violent and serious crimes\u2014murders, attempted murders, drive-by shootings, assaults with deadly weapons, drug trafficking, firearms trafficking, robberies, burglaries, and car thefts. <\/span><\/p>\n

The level of violence they perpetrated made the public fearful to report crimes committed by the gang, testify against Colonia Chiques members, and visit areas of town frequented by gang members.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tapia High-Powered Leader<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the center of it all was Tapia, leading, directing, and managing his criminal enterprise and his crew. <\/span><\/p>\n

Tapia, in an acknowledgement of his lynchpin role, was once overheard boasting:, \u201cI know how it feels to be a CEO.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

But by combining the efforts and the expertise of the Bureau, our partners on the task force, and federal prosecutors, we were able to knock Tapia out of his perch and do serious harm to his organization.<\/span><\/p>\n

The jury at Tapia\u2019s trial heard a lot about the activities of the Colonia Chiques\u2014much of it from Tapia himself in the form of audio and video recordings captured by law enforcement. For instance:<\/span><\/p>\n