Dozens of L.A. Gang Members Arrested in Massive Takedown

Amid the gang violence sweeping across the United States, there was one bright spot this week in Los Angeles. Florencia 13, a 70-year-old South Los Angeles Mexican gang, kicked over a beehive in 2022 when they murdered an off-duty L.A. police officer and his girlfriend while they were house hunting.

Now, like a swarm of killer bees, FBI agents and Los Angeles County deputies have struck back for the second time, raiding 30 homes. Armed robbery, drug trafficking, extortion, and three murders are among the charges facing 37 suspects.

Acting like the Google of Crime in Los Angeles, Florencia 13 has been steadily building a monopoly, acquiring members and territory as it absorbs smaller gangs in South Los Angeles. About ten years ago, South Central changed its name to South Los Angeles to remove the stigma of being a hub of gangs and violence. But a gangland fiefdom by any other name can be just as dangerous. And those who cross the gang can quickly be ushered into the next life in a torrent of violence.

Thanks to years of dedicated police work, the City of Angels now has a few more devils in the "can" awaiting trial. If the charges are true, these are not nice people. Nineteen of the defendants are being charged under RICO for assault and three murders. This includes an indictment against Jonathan "Creeper" Reyes for involvement in killing one victim outside a South L.A.  bar. The victim was stomped and beaten to death with a baseball bat. The crime was caught on surveillance video.

Three members of the gang are already serving 50-year and 35-year sentences for the 2022 murder of Officer Fernando Arroyos and his girlfriend. In this raid, Celerino "Bizzy" Jaramillo, who is alleged to be high enough in the gang structure to call the shots on gang hits and other violence, was among those taken into custody. 

Two of the alleged murders were of other gang members. One murder was for "violating the rules." Another victim was dispatched to the next life because he was in "bad standing," according to the Los Angeles Times. 

How many gangs are there currently in the United States?  According to the FBI, "some 33,000 violent street gangs, motorcycle gangs, and prison gangs are criminally active in the U.S. today. Many are sophisticated and well-organized; all use violence to control neighborhoods and boost their illegal money-making activities, which include robbery, drug and gun trafficking, prostitution and human trafficking, and fraud. Many gang members continue to commit crimes even after being sent to jail." 

Yep, that's not 33,000 gang members. It is 33,000 gangs. And while Republicans and Democrats in Washington clap like trained seals as they vote to spend billions to kill people they consider bad guys in the Middle East and Europe, our own bad guys are expanding their crime monopolies under our own noses. 

What does Republicans' America First or Democrats' tough-on-crime rhetoric mean when there are literally more gangs in the country than McDonald's restaurants? There are only 13,438 peddlers of Big Macs in the country, while there are twice as many gangs peddling drugs, degeneracy, violence, and death. 

Thankfully, in this case, law enforcement nailed some bad-looking characters for trial. However, at least 8 of the indicted gang members are currently on the run here, or possibly in Mexico. In this raid, along with twenty-one pounds of methamphetamine and six and a half pounds of heroin, law enforcement grabbed nine pounds of fentanyl.

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According to the Drug Enforcement Administration,  2 milligrams of fentanyl is a lethal dose in most people. And, "Laboratory testing indicates 7 out of every 10 pills seized by DEA contain a lethal dose of fentanyl."

This means the FBI and county deputies seized enough fentanyl to kill 2,043,000 people, or about half the population of Los Angeles. The police have done a great job at cuffing and stuffing suspects. Now, it is up to the courts and the political leaders to finish the job of clearing out the gangs. It needs to be a top priority in L.A. and the rest of the country.