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The FBI successfully carried out a daring mission in Southern California Thursday morning called “Operation Gangster’s Paradise,” resulting in the arrest of dozens of members of the Mexican Mafia across 30 pre-dawn raids, FBI Director Kash Patel announced Thursday.
“Alleged murderers, drug dealers, and racketeers all taken down,” he said in a statement on X.
Patel added, “This group is also known as ‘La Eme,’ the ‘gang of gangs,’ known to control nearly every Hispanic street gang in the California region. Well done to our agents, great partners and teams who executed brilliantly.”
The operation represents the Trump administration’s push to crack down on violent crimes in the U.S.
“The defendants accused of operating their own ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ in Orange County by peddling illicit drugs and carrying out assault and murders, among other crimes, are being held accountable today,” said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, in a Thursday statement.
He continued, “Orange County communities should be proud of their law enforcement professionals whose hard work and devotion to this case made the streets of Orange County safer today.”
It’s unclear what the total number of arrests was. Patel’s statement, posted in the early morning, noted that there were “30 alleged members” arrested, while a story from The Post said 37 possible gangsters were arrested by federal agents.
A press release from the Department of Justice said that “43 Mexican Mafia Gangsters” had been arrested on indictments related to alleged crimes like kidnapping, extortion, and drug trafficking. Regardless, it is clear that at least dozens of arrests were made, based on the FBI director’s comments.
“The @FBI continues to break violent gang operations all over the country,” Patel wrote on X.
Earlier this week, Patel took on a different fight when he announced that he would sue The Atlantic for allegations of defamation, following one reporter’s salacious story alleging the FBI director was often “MIA” from the bureau and engaged in a host of negative proclivities, including partying and drinking.
Patel filed the lawsuit on Monday, asking for a whopping $250 million in damages.
“This FBI director has been on the job twice as many days as every director before me. What that means is I’ve taken half as many days off as those before me,” Patel said of his track record during a press conference this week. “…I’ve NEVER been intoxicated on the job, and that is why we filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit. And any one of YOU that wants to participate, bring it on: I’ll see you in court!”
