Mexican Mafia
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The Mexican Mafia (MM) or "La Eme" (EME) is a large prison gang in the United States. It was formed in the 1950s by chicano street gang members incarcerated at the Deuel Vocational Institution, located in Tracy, California. The founding members formed the organization to protect chicanos from other prison gangs. By using violence, the Mexican Mafia eventually gained significant power and control over illegal activities in the California prison system. As members were released from state custody, they extended their influence outside the prison system to control drug distribution — principally by "taxing" drug dealers — in parts of Southern California. Now the control of the Mexican Mafia extends into most of Texas and many other parts in the United States.
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Membership
State and federal law-enforcement officials say that the Mexican Mafia today is composed of at least 30,000 members, some in state prisons, but many more freely roaming Southern California, using intimidiation, extortion and murder to control much of the region's more lucrative criminal activity. In addition, the gang has numerous associates who aspire to become members and are willing to commit crimes on the Mexican Mafia's behalf in hopes of attaining membership.
Title: Battle Against Mexican Mafia Opens New Front in Court
Source: New York Times, Nov. 26, 1996
Author: Ayres, B Drummond Jr.
The Mexican Mafia requires a vote of three members to make a new member or murder an existing member, but does not require a vote for a member to kill a nonmember.
Mexican Mafia members have to follow four rules: they cannot (1) be an informant; (2) be a homosexual; (3) be a coward; or (4) disrespect or politic against another member. Death is the automatic consequence for violation of any of the first three rules, and only a member can carry out the murder of another. While in prison, the Mexican Mafia expects its members to engage in drug trafficking, extortion, and any other activity to acquire money and exert power and control over other inmates. Outside prison, Mexican Mafia members meet regularly to discuss and vote on actions in furtherance of the members' illegal activities.
The Mexican Mafia are Sureños. Leadership of the Mexican Mafia is split between two rivals, one of whom comes from one of East L.A.'s Maravilla gangs while the other comes from the Inland Empire's South Ontario Black Angels gang.
Communication in prison
In prison, Mexican Mafia members communicate by having meetings in the exercise yard, sending messages through visitors or inmates who were transferred between prisons, and passing small notes known as "kites" or "wilas". Further, Mexican Mafia members operate under a "code of silence", which obligates them to deny any membership in or knowledge of the organization.
According to the FBI, EME has ordered contract killings to be carried out by another vicious prison gang, the Aryan Brotherhood.Template:Ref
References
- The FBI's FOIA file on the Mexican Mafia
- United States v. Shryock, 342 F.3d 948 (9th Cir., 2003)
- Mexican Mafia Timeline
- Mexican Mafia Chart
Footnotes
- Template:Note pg 43, 50 Title: FOIA Subject: ARYAN BROTHERHOOD Source: The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice, Author: United States Federal Bureau of Investigation.