Federal agencies have arrested 25 people in Southern California as part of a Department of Justice case involving alleged Mexican Mafia activity, including the operation of illegal gambling businesses.
The arrests followed search and arrest warrants executed at 30 locations, most of them in Orange County.
The DOJ said the action formed part of a two-year investigation into members and associates of La Eme, a California-based prison gang also known as the Mexican Mafia.
A wider group of 43 defendants has been indicted and is in custody. Prosecutors said 19 defendants were already in custody, while two others remained fugitives.
The main indictment charges 40 defendants with offenses including racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business, violent crimes in aid of racketeering, drug trafficking and use of firearms during a crime of violence.
Federal officials allege the group distributed fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine through illegal gambling houses, street gangs and drug dealers in Orange County.
The indictment also includes allegations of kidnapping, extortion and a murder at a gang-controlled motel in Anaheim last year.
Luis Cardenas, 48, also known as “Gangster,” “Pops” and “Tio,” was named among those indicted. Prosecutors allege Cardenas directed the Mexican Mafia’s Orange County activity from Ironwood State Prison using contraband cell phones and encrypted messaging.
First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli said: “Today’s arrests highlight the continuing cooperation between federal and local law enforcement against violent felons and our unyielding determination to crack down on organized crime in our prisons and our streets.”
The case places illegal gambling within a broader alleged criminal structure rather than as a standalone gambling enforcement matter.
US authorities have continued to focus on gambling-linked financial crime, particularly where operations are alleged to support narcotics trafficking, extortion or organized crime networks.
In November 2025, US and Mexican authorities also targeted gambling businesses as part of an organized crime investigation, with OFAC sanctioning 27 individuals and entities while FinCEN proposed cutting 10 Mexican casinos from the US financial system.
The DOJ said 12 defendants already in state custody are expected to appear in court in the coming weeks
