SEATTLE - FBI agents and Los Angeles County deputies across the city raided 30 homes linked to the South Los Angeles gang Florencia 13, a criminal group formed during the 1950's that is among the oldest street gangs in the region.
Law enforcement officials arrested 23 members and associates of the gang while they still look for eight other suspects, including several believed to be fugitives in Mexico. As part of the raids, law enforcement also seized about 21 pounds of methamphetamine, nine pounds of fentanyl and six and a half pounds of heroin, as well as 25 firearms and about $70,000 dollars in cash.
"We are here today... to announce a major gang takedown targeting one of the most destructive and largest gangs in Los Angeles," U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Martin Estrada told reporters during a press conference.
A few hours after the arrests, prosecutors unsealed indictments charging 37 people associated with the gang, alleging a series of crimes including fentanyl trafficking, extortion and three murders. Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles field office, said that 19 of those indicted were arrested at their homes and four at an illegal underground bar."
"Florencia 13 is known for its barbaric tactics, which, tragically, resulted in several murders alleged in the indictment," Davis said. "Residents of the community in which Florencia 13 operates deserve to live their lives without fear from violence and extortion, and this joint investigation demonstrates our shared commitment to that goal."
One of those murders was that of LAPD officer Fernando Arroyos in January of 2022 while he was off-duty and house hunting with his girlfriend. Last month, three members responsible for Arroyo's death were sentenced to at least 35 years prison. Members of the Florencia 13 gang are also accused of beating a man to death outside a bar in October 2022 in the Florence-Firestone area.
If convicted, most of the Florencia 13 gang members would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
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