Forty-three members of the Mexican Mafia prison gang were arrested on three federal indictments charging them. They committed scores of crimes in Orange County, including kidnapping, extortion, trafficking fentanyl and methamphetamine, running illegal gambling businesses, and murdering a victim last year at a gang-controlled Anaheim motel.
The Mexican Mafia, a.k.a. “La Eme,” is a U.S.-based prison gang that has immense control over Hispanic street gangs in Southern California, directing illegal activities from prisons and collecting a portion of the proceeds from drug trafficking, illegal gambling, and other crimes committed on the streets.
Justice Department Report
Twenty-five members and associates of the Mexican Mafia prison gang were arrested today on three federal indictments charging them with committing scores of crimes in Orange County, including kidnapping, extortion, trafficking fentanyl and methamphetamine, running illegal gambling businesses, and murdering a victim last year at a gang-controlled Anaheim motel.
The defendants arrested this morning include:
Jaime Alvarado, 42, a.k.a. “Junior” and “Brian Barbas,” of Lake Elsinore;
Karina Cesena, 32, also of Lake Elsinore; and
Mario Flores, 40, a.k.a. “Happy,” of Anaheim.
Senior gang members already in state custody who are expected to make their initial appearances and be arraigned in the coming weeks include:
Luis Cardenas, 48, a.k.a. “Gangster,” “Pops” and “Tio,” an inmate at Ironwood State Prison;
Jose Antonio Ochoa Madrigal, 41, a.k.a. “Sparky,” of Santa Ana, who incarcerated in an Orange County jail.
I’m sure the Democrats are right. They are only coming for a better life.
NEWS ALERT from @FBILosAngeles: 43 Mexican Mafia Gangsters Arrested on Indictments Alleging Racketeering, Drug Trafficking, Kidnapping, Assault, and Murder
Today, 25 members and associates of the Mexican Mafia prison gang were arrested on three federal indictments charging them… pic.twitter.com/rpOTZJXYIX
— FBI (@FBI) April 23, 2026