
A major crackdown on gang violence and organized crime in San Diego County has culminated in the arrest of 39 individuals linked to a string of violent criminal activities, as announced by San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan. The operation targeted street gangs operating under the Mexican Mafia's command, with convictions potentially ranging from three-year sentences to life in prison if the accused were found guilty.
In the six-month undercover operation "Los Impuestos", law enforcement authorities, including the San Diego Police Street Gang Unit, DEA, ATF, and the District Attorney's Office Gang Unit, collected evidence against 46 defendants. These efforts have revealed a disturbing network of gang members driven by the directives of the Mexican Mafia—a prison gang exercising significant control over criminal enterprises in the state. Those arrested were involved in at least one murder and two attempted murders, in addition to other serious charges, such as extortion and firearms trafficking.
The operation spanned various San Diego neighborhoods, with criminal activities from downtown areas to Barrio Logan, City Heights, and South San Diego. At least one business faced threats of being blown up with a grenade for failing to pay "taxes"—a mafia-style extortion system imposed by the gangs. Weapons, including 21 handguns, 23 rifles, and an array of narcotics like methamphetamine and fentanyl, were seized in the takedown.
"This operation once again proves that we will not allow criminal organizations to terrorize our communities by threats or violence," DA Stephan said, as per the San Diego County District Attorney's Office. The Mexican Mafia's influence has now reached beyond the California State prison system into other states and the Federal Bureau of Prisons, acting through a network of gang members to collect "taxes", traffic drugs and firearms, and orchestrate violent acts including beatings, shootings, and the murders that mar communities with fear and disruption.