11 Arrested in Raids Targeting Mexican Mafia
RIVERSIDE — Police have arrested 11 suspects in raids targeting the prison-based Mexican Mafia.
The raids were carried out Tuesday in Rialto, Perris, Rancho Cucamonga, San Bernardino and Colton, said Michael Meyers, the Rialto police chief.
“We’re not going to sit back and watch the Mexican Mafia or anyone else take over our streets,” Meyers said at a news conference.
The raids involved more than 100 police officers and followed a four-month investigation that found an increasing mob influence in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, said Leo Duarte, a special agent with the California Department of Corrections.
One of those arrested, Antonio Hernandez, is believed to have key connections with drug cartels in Mexico, officials said.
Another 10 men were booked in connection with a variety of crimes and parole violations. Authorities said some are known associates of the Mexican Mafia and others are members of the Black Angels gang, an Ontario-based affiliate of the Mexican Mafia.
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