Mexican Mafia

The Mexican Mafia is a Mexican American crime organization. It began in the United States, not Mexico.

Mexican Mafia
The primary symbol used by La eMe
Founded1957; 69 years ago (1957)
InDeuel Vocational Institution, California, United States
Years active1957–present
TerritoryWest Coast and Southwestern United States, and throughout the federal prison system and California prison system
EthnicityMexican American
Membership250–300 "made" members
Criminal activitiesDrug trafficking, extortion, illegal gambling, prostitution, assault and murder
Allies
Rivals

The Mexican Mafia (Spanish: Mafia Mexicana), also known as La eMe (Spanish for "the M"), is a mostly Mexican American prison gang and criminal organization in the United States. The gang formed in the United States, not Mexico, despite its name.

The Mexican Mafia is one of the most powerful and violent prison gangs in the United States. The U.S. Government considers it to be "among the most powerful, dangerous and feared criminal organizations in the world".

Estimates say there are around 350 to 400 Mexican Mafia members in U.S. prisons today. Additionally, the gang has tens of thousands of "foot soldiers" in street gangs throughout the state of California.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Mexican Mafia. (2012). The History Channel website. Retrieved 10:45, February 2, 2012, from http://www.history.com/shows/gangland/articles/mexican-mafia.
  2. ↑ Rafael, T. (2007). The Mexican Mafia. p. 171–185, 237–267. New York: Encounter Books.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Mallory, Stephen L. (2012). Understanding organized crime (2nd ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. pp. 218–220. ISBN 9781449622572.
  4. 1 2 Ortega, F. (February 8, 2008). Mexican mafia's roots run deep in san gabriel valley. The Whittier Daily News. Retrieved from "Mexican Mafia's roots run deep in San Gabriel Valley - Whittier Daily News". Archived from the original on April 10, 2012. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 Prison Gangs justice.gov (May 11, 2015)
  6. 1 2 3 Lawrence, E. F. U.S. Government Accountability Office, (2010). Combating gangs: Federal agencies have implemented a central american [sic] gang strategy, but could strengthen oversight and measurement of efforts (GAO-10-395). Retrieved from website: http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-395
  7. 1 2 U.S. v. Shryock casetext.com (June 2, 2003)
  8. 1 2 Roots of the Armenian Power Gang Richard Valdemar, policemag.com (March 1, 2011) Archived March 27, 2023, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ↑ "California Prison Gangs - The Price of Control". December 1982. Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  10. ↑ La Cosa Nostra: Alive and Kicking Richard Valdemar, PoliceMag.com (March 14, 2011) Archived April 27, 2023, at the Wayback Machine
  11. ↑ Christie 2016, p. 130.
  12. ↑ Former Prison Gang Leader Killed on Street Julian Guthrie, San Francisco Chronicle (March 25, 2001) Archived January 1, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  13. ↑ Morales, Gabriel C. (2013). The history of the Mexican Mafia : (la eMe). Scotts Valley, California: Create Space Independent Publishers. ISBN 978-1492711674.
  14. ↑ Langton, Jerry (2011). Gangland : the rise of the Mexican drug cartels from El Paso to Vancouver. Mississauga, Ont.: J. Wiley & Sons Canada. pp. 118–146. ISBN 978-1118014271.
  15. ↑ Chrystal, Chris (October 22, 1980). "Aladena 'Jimmy the Weasel' Fratianno boasted in a taped..." Los Angeles: UPI. Retrieved November 13, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  16. 1 2 3 Florida Department of Corrections. "Prison Gangs (continued) – Gangs and Security Threat Group Awareness". Florida Department of Corrections. Archived from the original on 2010-03-12. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
  17. ↑ The Infamous 'One Percenters': A Review of the Criminality, Subculture, and Structure of Modern Biker Gangs Danielle Shields (2012) Archived November 29, 2022, at the Wayback Machine
  18. ↑ Bryjak, G. J.; Barkan, S. E. (2011). Fundamentals of criminal justice : a sociological view. Sudbury, Massacheusetts: Jones & Bartlett Learning. pp. 115. ISBN 9780763754242.
  19. ↑ Blankstein, A., & Linthicum, K. (February 17, 2011). Raids targeting armenian gang net 74 fraud suspects. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2011-feb-17-la-me-0217-armenian-gang-20110217-story.html
  20. ↑ Barkan, Steven; Bryjak, George (28 January 2011). Fundamentals of Criminal Justice: A Sociological View. Jones & Bartlett Learning. p. 115. ISBN 978-0-7637-5424-2.
  21. ↑ "Mexican Mafia: The Most Dangerous Gang". 12 April 2010. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
  22. ↑ Organized Crime in California Annual Report 2007-08 Attorney General of California (2008)
  23. ↑ "The Mongol Motorcycle Gang and the Mexican Mafia". Police Magazine. 21 January 2008. Archived from the original on 19 March 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
  24. ↑ "America's 11 Most Powerful Prison Gangs". Business Insider.
  25. ↑ Bruneau, Thomas; Dammert, Lucia; Skinner, Elizabeth, eds. (December 2011). Maras: Gang Violence and Security in Central America. Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press. pp. 3, 23–34, 27–30, 32, 259. ISBN 978-0292742437. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  26. ↑ Nuestra Familia. (2012). The History Channel website. Retrieved 10:59, February 2, 2012, from "Archived copy". Archived from the original on August 11, 2011. Retrieved February 2, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link).
  27. ↑ Blatchford, Chris (2008). The black hand : the bloody rise and redemption of "Boxer" Enriquez, a Mexican mob killer (1st ed.). New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 9780061257292. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  28. ↑ "Prison Gangs: Inmates Battle for Control | Office of Justice Programs". www.ojp.gov. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
  29. 1 2 "Mexican Mafia | Gang, Prison, Description, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2025-10-04.