At least 42 alleged members of a white supremacist gang that operated in the county of Los Angeles have been arrested on charges related to drug trafficking, fraud and other crimes committed for years, according to the United States Department of Justice (DOJ).
In an operation in which the Los Angeles Police participated, 29 of the accused have been arrested in the San Fernando Valley, the other 13 were already behind bars.
The accusation links a total of 68 alleged SFV Peckerwoods gang members by about twenty federal crimesincluding conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), drug trafficking, bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and firearms offenses, among others.
According to the DOJ, the Peckerwoods had allied themselves with members of the Aryan Brotherhood and the Mexican Mafia, who operate in California prisons.
During the operation, Police seized large quantities of firearms and dozens of pounds of fentanyl, methamphetamine and herointhe DOJ said in a statement.
Among the accusations are also several alleged frauds against the US Government’s economic aid programs due to Covid-19.
Gang members and associates used social media to share information with each other about their criminal activities, which included an exclusive Facebook group for its memberssince at least December 2016.
“The gang’s violent white supremacist ideology and extensive criminal activity represent a serious threat to our community“said federal prosecutor Martin Estrada in a statement.
The prosecutor has described the gang as “a destructive force” that must be prosecuted and removed from the streets.
Peckerwoods members wear tattoos, graffiti and Nazi iconography to indicate their violent extremist ideology of white supremacy.
These tattoos and iconography include swastikas, the ’88’ symbol, used by violent white supremacist extremists as code for ‘Heil Hitler,’ and images of Nazi planes, according to the DOJ.
