{"id":24357,"date":"2016-06-14T15:46:11","date_gmt":"2016-06-14T22:46:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=24357"},"modified":"2016-06-14T15:46:11","modified_gmt":"2016-06-14T22:46:11","slug":"mexican-mafia-affiliated-street-gang-members-who-used-facebook-to-plan-crimes-indicted-for-murder-drugs-and-attacking-police-officer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=24357","title":{"rendered":"Mexican Mafia Affiliated Street Gang Members Who Used Facebook to Plan Crimes Indicted for Murder, Drugs and Attacking Police Officer"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

LOS ANGELES<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Law enforcement arrested 31 members and associates of the Mexican-Mafia controlled Santa Fe Springs-based street gang.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"U.S.The arrests were triggered after a federal grand jury issued a 147-page racketeering indictment that names 51 defendants, including the so-called shot caller of the Canta Ranas gang<\/strong>, which operates in Santa Fe Springs and Whittier.<\/span><\/p>\n

The gang members were charged with various crimes including murder of a rival gang member and the attempted murder of a Whittier police officer, according to officials.<\/span><\/p>\n

The indictment alleges that an incarcerated member of the Mexican Mafia prison gang exerts control over Canta Ranas and other gangs, and that he received compensation in the form of \u201crent\u201d or \u201ctaxes\u201d generated by drug trafficking and other offenses committed in gang territory.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Mexican Mafia \u201ccarnal\u201d identified in the indictment as D.G. \u2014 who was not charged as he is currently serving a life-without-parole sentence in Pelican Bay State Prison \u2014 allegedly issued orders from prison to attack rivals and others who disobeyed directives, distribute narcotics, collect extortion payments from drug dealers and commit acts of violence.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"LACourtHouse_01\"The crimes go back to the spring of 2004, when members of the gang allegedly attempted to rob a group of high school students near a Santa Fe Springs park.<\/span><\/p>\n

The lead defendant in the 35-count indictment is Jose Loza<\/strong>, who recently became a full-fledged member of the Mexican Mafia and is the \u201cshotcaller\u201d of the Canta Ranas gang.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to implementing D.G.\u2019s orders, Loza allegedly executed another member of the Mexican Mafia who wanted to expand his influence and challenge D.G.\u2019s authority over street gangs in the San Gabriel Valley.<\/span><\/p>\n

During the incident two months ago at a restaurant in the San Gabriel Valley community of Basset, the Mexican Mafia member was fatally shot, his bodyguard was severely wounded, and an innocent restaurant patron was shot six times in the abdomen.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Southern-California-Drug-Task-Force-Seal_large\"The indictment also alleges that two defendants who were part of the Canta Ranas organization overseen by D.G. attempted to murder a detective with the Whittier Police Department when they shot at him in his unmarked vehicle while he was conducting undercover surveillance as part of a narcotics investigation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Participants in the racketeering conspiracy also threatened to tax and \u201cto shoot up\u201d a private party because the residence was in gang territory, according to the indictment. \u00a0It also states that gang members used Facebook and text messages to advertise narcotics sales, make threats, plan attacks and negotiate transactions involving firearms and ammunition.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs this indictment charges, the Canta Ranas gang is a root cause of violence and drugs in multiple communities here in Southern California,\u201d said U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker.<\/strong> \u201cThe RICO statutes are designed to target criminal enterprises like Canta Ranas, and RICO prosecutions like this one, which target the top leaders of the gang, help make whole communities safer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The indictment also alleges a series of narcotics transactions, including one involving one-half pound of methamphetamine.<\/span><\/p>\n

During today\u2019s law enforcement operation, approximately 400 agents and officers targeted members and associates of the Canta Ranas gang, which was formed in Santa Fe Springs around 1950.<\/span><\/p>\n

The gang (Spanish for \u201cSinging Frogs\u201d), whose estimated 140 members reside primarily in Santa Fe Springs and Whittier, has established a presence in other California communities, including Riverside, Sacramento and Stockton.<\/span><\/p>\n

During the course of the three-year investigation, which was called Operation \u201cFrog Legs,\u201d authorities seized 51 firearms and made several narcotics seizures, including nearly one pound of methamphetamine seized during the execution of search warrants after Loza allegedly murdered the other Mexican Mafia member.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Whittier\u201cWe are grateful for the cooperation that took place throughout this investigation among local, state and federal law enforcement resources,\u201d said Whittier Police Chief Jeff Piper<\/strong>. \u201cThis operation was a true example of law enforcement partners working tirelessly to make our communities safer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Operation Frog Legs is the result an investigation by the Southern California Drug Task Force, which is led by the Drug Enforcement Administration as part of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area initiative.<\/span><\/p>\n

The indictment specifically charges a conspiracy to violate the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and a second conspiracy to distribute narcotics, which includes allegations of smuggling controlled substances, including heroin, into county jails. <\/span><\/p>\n

All 51 defendants are charged in these two conspiracy counts.<\/span><\/p>\n

The indictment further charges eight counts of violent crimes in aid of racketeering (VICAR). Loza and five other defendants each are charged in at least two of these VICAR charges that involve the hit on the rival Mexican Mafia member, the attack on the Whittier Police officer, and the stabbing of a rival gang member.<\/span>
\n Various defendants are additionally charged in 11 drug trafficking charges, 13 firearms offenses and a conspiracy to commit money laundering.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe alleged \u2018tax\u2019 payments made to the Mexican Mafia demonstrate the hierarchy and organizational structure of this criminal enterprise, as the money flowed from the Canta Ranas Organization to Mexican Mafia member D.G. and his designees,\u201d stated IRS Criminal Investigation\u2019s Acting Special Agent in Charge Anthony J. Orlando.<\/strong> \u201cThe role of IRS Criminal Investigation in narcotics investigations is to follow the money so we can financially disrupt and dismantle these major drug trafficking organizations and protect our communities from the violent behavior of these malicious street gangs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Among the 51 defendants charged in the indictment are:<\/span><\/p>\n