Operation Scarecrow: A Drop in the Bucket ; 85 Mexican Mafia Members Arrested in So Cal

Posted by Yaqui for Borderland Beat from: SJ Mercury News
 

May 3, 2018

Authorities said the investigation was dubbed “Operation Scarecrow” because of its connection to a Mexican Mafia shot-caller with the street moniker “Crow.”

A major gang crackdown involving a variety of state and local agencies, and aimed at disrupting Mexican Mafia operations in Orange County, has yielded 85 arrests and taken “middle management” gang leaders off the streets, officials announced Wednesday, May 2, 2018.

“We will continue to hold accountable those who terrorize our communities and jeopardize our public safety,” Becerra said. “All families in California deserve to know that their loved ones, especially their children, are safe.”

Orange County Undersheriff Don Barnes said the operation – one of the largest in county history – resulted in the arrests of many “middle management” gang members and prevented a number of violent crimes, including an attempted murder in Placentia.

So far, prosecutors have filed charges in 31 cases in Orange County and two in Los Angeles. The charges include weapons and drug violations, conspiracy, forgery, fraud and criminal street gang enhancements.

While the effort can disrupt Mexican Mafia operations, the arrests are a “drop in the bucket” compared to organization’s mass control over street gangs statewide, Barnes said.

“We share this information not to scare the public but to remind the residents of Orange County that this is a reality we face,” he said. “Criminal gang enterprises still continue to prey upon our community and we have to do everything we can to fight back.”

Barnes said the operation stemmed from an investigation into the shooting death of a man in San Juan Capistrano on Christmas Day in 2016. The case has not yet been solved, but the victim’s alleged gang ties led investigators into a network of criminal activity, he said.

Peter Ojeda, longtime orange County Mexican Mafia Jefe Continues to Control Crime in Local Neighborhoods and Jails/Prisons After being sentenced to 15 Years in Prison in 2016

Press Conference:
Posted by Orange County Sheriff’s Department, CA

Santa Ana, CA…Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens today announced the arrest of 85 individuals; seizure of 36 firearms, including assault weapons; seizure of 14 pounds of methamphetamine and three pounds of heroin; and the recovery of two stolen vehicles, as part of an investigation of Mafia members and associates operating in Orange County.

Apprehending dangerous criminals is my number-one priority. We will hold accountable those who terrorize our communities and jeopardize public safety,” said Attorney General Becerra.