TABLE OF CONTENTS :
OPERATION 13 SCOOPS: The May 2017 Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) Raid and RICO Indictment It is just before twilight on the night of May 16-17, 2017 in Exposition Park, just a football’s throw from USC. The sun is moments away from peering up over the flat plain of Exposition Boulevard, the beginning of a warm spring day in Los Angeles. The only noticeable noise comes every six minutes or so from the Metro Expo Line breezing through. It is precisely the time that the casitas --gang-operated after-hours venues that sell drugs and traffick human beings-- are operating in full swing. Near the Colliseum, armored ATF, DEA, and LAPD cars slowly file out of a mini-mall parking lot. They operate on their years-long suspicion that on the even-numbered side of Western Avenue, between 37th Place and Exposition Boulevard, a humble 1930s Streamline Moderne storefront is in fact a notorious MS-13 casita. It is the concluding act of a nearly ten-year effort by federal law enforcement agencies, known by the moniker “Operation 13 Scoops.” The operation netted dozens of key members of Mara Salvatrucha 13--better known as MS-13-- as well their associates, and, most horrifically, victims of human trafficking. It was the most productive such raid by LAPD in several years. The success of this big scoop contrasted with mixed feelings across North America. Most of us were pleased to know that 43 members and associates of a horrific criminal enterprise, originally formed in Los Angeles' Pico-Union district, were off of the streets. However, the communities and nations subject to MS-13’s four-decade reign—ranging from Los Angeles (where MS formed) to suburban Virginia, to El Salvador, and well into South America—viewed the raid with wariness, embodied in the local saying, “The Mara will never end”. Aside from the initial breaking news, only Spanish-speaking outlets have released updates on the case, mostly regarding the status of the three fugitives of the indictment. Six months later, there is a lot that the American mainstream media--desperate to avoid handing credit to the current administration--has not reported about the case. Whether this is due to the rapid turnover within our news cycle, our increasingly short memories, or is in fact a reluctance to allocate credit to LAPD and the Feds, I decided to compose my own commentary upon the raid. Below: The cover sheet for the May 2017 indictment. The Operation and the Indictment The chronology of the case is documented in the extensive RICO Indictment, unsealed days after the May 2017 raid. It is a meticulous composition, listing 41 federal felony counts, under RICO and VICAR laws, constituted by nearly 350 Overt Acts, transpiring from December 2007 to early 2017. The indictment reveals infighting within the gang. It illustrates a gang with nobody willing to take sole leadership. It illustrates how truly difficult it is to track, document, and indict these folks, who live-off the-grid lifestyles and take exceptional measures to not leave digital footprints. The police informants, for their parts, have to take beatings, witness violent crimes, and smoke doused blunts to prove they’re not sus and adequately pass as gang members. Mugshots of the 43 individuals accompanied the document’s released to the public. Of these 43 individuals, 33 are mentioned in the indictment and 10 are not. Forty-three people, forty-three scoops, under the long, cold arm of the Law. This article is a look into 13 of these 43 scoops. 13 scoops, for the number 13, used by Southern California gangs to signify their allegiance to the Mexican Mafia. CLICK "READ MORE" BELOW Above: The intersection of Venice Boulevard and Wilton Place in 2017, ten years after the first over act of murder listed in the indictment occurred there. These days, it's usually pretty peaceful. (Source: The author) I. John “Pelón” Garcia. Starting it all off early one morning in December 2007, Pelón (“Bald Man”), was a passenger in an SUV containing four other made members of MS-13, as well as two juveniles, new recruits of the gang. Driving west on Venice Boulevard in Mid-City, they came upon 20 year old student Nelly Vergara Hernandez and her companion “E.S.” (the names of victims are abbreviated in federal indictments) sitting at a bus stop at the corner of Venice and Wilton. They made a U-Turn. “Where you fools from?” Pelón hissed at the friends. “E.S.”, who had a visible Playboy Bunny tattoo on his face, knew this meant trouble. As Pelón threw up the Mara horns, two passengers produced revolvers and fired several times. Both friends were hit. Vergara-Hernandez ran for her life, about 5 yards before being shot and collapsing on the lawn of the home to the south of the bus stop. Both Vergara and her friend, the latter a member of the rival Playboys gang, died at the scene. (Some sources say that "E.S." survived, but the indictment indicates otherwise.) Pelón was in the SUV. The SUV fled to a residence on Tamarind Avenue in Compton. The police know this, because Pelón, who was on parole, was wearing a GPS ankle bracelet. The police staked out the residence for almost 24 hours, then arrested the seven individuals early the next morning as they attempted to abscond to Central America. During the witness examinations, presided over by none other than Judge Lance Ito, Pelón was brought in to testify. “I am going to plead the Fifth Amendment on this one,” Pelón said at the time. “I got nothing to say to you”. Pelón, incredibly, was not charged in that incident due to “a lack of evidence”. This may be because of the treatment of GPS monitoring as “searches” in some jurisdictions. It also may be because Lance Ito is a weak excuse of a judge. At any rate, Pelón was sent back to prison for violating his parole by having associated with other MS members. Pelón re-appears in the indictment in 2009: “On or about September 6th, 2009, defendant Garcia and an unindicted co-conspirator extorted money from a hot dog vendor operating in the vicinity of Santa Monica Blvd. and Western Ave., within MS-13 territory”. Pelón, "the Bald Man," was out of prison after just a year-and-a-half after having been involved in a double drive-by shooting. Welcome to Los Angeles County. At the June 2015 general meeting, Pelón announced that MS-13 voted for him to take the overall leadership position of MS-13. Indeed, MS members on the outside and inside had voted him the leader of all of MS Los Angeles, replacing Jose “Porky” Balmore, who was arrested in late 2014. (Read more about Porky, coming up next.) However, Pelón still insisted that he wanted a “mesa” (a committee) to run MS-13 Los Angeles. Can you blame him? What does a twenty-something year old even say when they are offered the keys to the Los Angeles faction of one of the world’s most terrifying criminal organizations? The MS-13 Los Angeles leadership was thus re-established as a committee. Pelón, for his part, instead opted to be the shot-caller for the Hollywood clique. However, clearly aware of the power of his word, he reassigned various cliques’ shot-callers at the same meeting . II. Jose “Porky” Balmore Romero. The baby-faced Porky was the leader of MS-13 Los Angeles in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Aside from the crimes he presumably committed to rise to his ranks, Porky was documented at the scenes of the murders of rivals, as well as committing some egregious witness intimidation. On July 26, 2011, MS-13 Central Clique beefed with rival gang members in Downtown Los Angeles. Later that evening, Porky, in his capacity as the Central Clique’s shot-caller, organized the retaliation. The following night, in Porky’s presence, they killed the rival gang member who supposedly started the fight. Juan Cruz Lopez Jr., just 18 years old, was shot in the chest and left lying in a driveway near Los Angeles Street and 3rd, a block over from the newly refurbished corridors of Downtown. Then, the next week, Porky drove with ‘CHS-7’ (abbreviated as such because they later became a police informant) to a converted apartment complex above a store in the vicinity of where the murder occurred. “Go knock on that door,” Porky told CHS-7. “Then walk away. I’ll do the rest.” CHS-7 knocked on the door. The resident walked down the long stairwell, peered through the door, looked to the left, and saw nothing. Opening the door and looking to her right, she saw this face: “You better not say nothing about what happened yesterday. You didn’t see nobody, you didn’t hear nothing.” Then, in Spanish, he told her: “If you say anything, me and my homies will kill you and your children.” About three years after the 2011 murder, Porky met with an unknown MS member and “CHS-1”, (abbreviated as such because they later became another informant), and viewed documentation of neighbors in the vicinity of the 2011 murder working with law enforcement. Porky, like any head honcho would, had access to documents that you would THINK were classified. Not if you have people on the inside working for you. Porky was arrested by the Feds less than two months later for his witness intimidation, conspiracies to commit murder, and his overall “being in the capacity of ‘shot-caller’ of MS-13 Los Angeles”. Not to mention, his drug trafficking; he handled MS Los Angeles’ relationships with the cartels, along with Carlos Zepeda, aka “Blackie.” Between the two, they established contacts with three different cartels. Porky, now 45, was born Francisco Balmore Romero. He is the lead defendant in the case, which bears the name “Romero et. al v. United States of America”. Pelón took the keys to MS in 2014 when Balmore, then 42, was arrested. The Little San Salvador Murder: III., IV., and V. : The 3 Killers and VI. Their Lookout There were three people listed in the indictment for first degree murder—all of whom, thank God, were arrested. They are: Carlos “Little Boy” Lopez, Joffri “Espia” Molina, and Samuel “Blackie” Rivas. “El Guerrillero” was the lookout during each murder. III. Carlos “Little Boy” Lopez. On August 15th, 2015, Guerillerro drove Little Boy and Blackie to a Salvadoran Restaurant on Western Avenue near Lemon Grove Avenue, where the leader of the Hollywood clique, “Chacál” (“the Jackal”), was dining. While the members were dining, Edis Maldonado Bustillos, his relative (abbreviated as “H.M.”), and their friend (abbreviated “S.B.”) walked in, sat down, and ordered food. Not five minutes into their visit, Chacál ordered Little Boy and Blackie to challenge the Maldonados and their friend as to their supposed gang affiliation. None of the gentleman were bangers. They were hard-working family men. “De que barrio eres?” Little Boy asked. "Where you from?" Just as soon as any of the men could answer, Little Boy pulled out a handgun and shot Edis five times at point blank range. “H.M.” and “S.B.” barely managed to escape the gunfire. Just as they looked over their shoulders, Chacál advanced upon them and stabbed them both. Chacál, Blackie, and Little Boy bailed out of the restaurant. As they fled, The Jackal shouted in Spanish at the restaurant employees and barely conscious friends: “Tu peleas, se mataremos!” Try to fight us, and we will kill you. Guerrillero was a block away, waiting by a payphone. Eyeballs. IV. Samuel “Blackie” Rivas. Blackie, with his indifferent scowl on his face, looks more like some bro who would steal your ruca at the club. He was, in fact, the second of the murderers indicted in Operation 13 Scoops. Barely two weeks after the Little San Salvador Restaurant murder, at which he was present, unindicted fellow bangers drove him to a closed strip mall located in the 8700 block of Woodman Avenue in Panorama City. With “Little Boy” having been initiated into MS-13, it was now time for Blackie’s initiation. A fellow banger handed Blackie a gun. At 11:15PM, the two Fulton members exited the car on the corner of Snowden and Chase, out of the sight of security cameras on the block. They rapidly advanced upon Daniel Guzman Gurrola, 41 years old, a rival gang member, sitting outside an internet cafe in the strip mall. As Guzman rose to defend himself, he was shot in the brachial artery (upper arm). Clearly not wanting to end it so easily with his gun, Blackie proceeded to wantonly kick and stomp upon Gurrola’s head. Gurrola never rose from where he fell, and died thirty minutes later at the hospital. Villalobos was a block away, waiting in the car. Eyeballs. Two weeks later, Blackie was driving past the same strip mall on Woodman. He noticed more members of the same rival gang loitering in the strip mall. He called up Guerrillero for clearance to remove them. And remove them he did. V. Joffri “Espia” Molina. A little over three weeks after the murder in Panorama City, Chacál (“The Jackal”) was mad. As in, he was more mad than usual. Pelón, who wanted to be shot-caller of Hollywood clique and have MS-13 run by committee, got his wish. Chacál was no longer Hollywood’s main man. On top of that, someone from the Fulton clique owed him thirty grand. The Jackal was having a pretty bad month. He told “Espia”, as well as Guerrillero and “CHS-1” (abbreviated as such because he became yet another undercover informant) to meet him at Pioneer Park in the City of San Fernando. He discussed the Fulton clique debt, and said that if it was not paid, the person would be killed. Chacál then brought up a name. “Bala”, he said. “Fulton Clique has a green light on someone named Bala”. This “Bala” person, according to Chacál, was an MS member who had committed inexcusable offenses to the gang, which are not specified in the indictment. However, Chacál, Guerrillero, and Espia did not know what “Bala” looked like. The undercover informant, possibly trying to divert a potential shooting, intervened. “I know of a guy in MS on the East Coast”, he said, “and I think he goes by ‘Bala’ ”. Espia, in Spanish, asked, “Could you obtain a picture of him in the next 10 minutes?” And so the undercover informant did. It is unknown if the person in the photograph produced by the informant was the “Bala” they were looking for. Whatever the case, an hour later, Espia and an unindicted co-conspirator pulled up to an apartment building located at [number omitted] Kittridge Street, in the San Fernando Valley. There, they spotted Jayron Bosbely Renteria, 24 years old, in front of his apartment. An unindicted co-conspirator handed Espia his weapon. It was over quickly. Espia and his fellow bangers ran up to Renteria, shot him, and ran back to their waiting car. Renteria stumbled to the corner of Kittridge and Hinds avenues, where he collapsed and died. According to friends and family, Renteria’s moniker was “Blunt”. My guess is that there was in-fact no person known as “Bala”, and that “Bala” was a mispronunciation of the word “blunt” by Blackie, Espia, and Chacál, who, according to court dockets, do not speak English. Guerrillero was--you guessed it--waiting in the car. Eyeballs. Guerrillero, by the way, is Scoop #VI. VII., VIII., and IX.: The 3 Fugitives VII. “Droopy”. Droopy was the shot-caller of Pasadena clique. He administered beatings, collected rent, and paid dues to the Mexican Mafia on behalf of his clique. His appearance is one of the most striking amongst the 43 individuals arrested over the course of the Operation. His ink is elaborate, with a complicated ghost figure on his torso, an entirely tattooed hairline, a kiss mark (symbolizing a relative or lover, possibly deceased), and the phrase “I Don’t Care” on his lower left jawline. Imagine putting on this face for your DMV photo. Even while waiting in the long lines of the DMV, this man wanted people to know he repped MS-13. Droopy also openly advertised on his Facebook fan page that he was an MS member who grew marijuana, offering “a good price”. Droopy is one of three individuals who, as of the writing of this article, has still not been arrested. VIII. “Poizon”. “Poizon” was the leader of Leeward Grandes, one of the original MS cliques. He was mostly documented engaging in assaults, authorizing violence, conducting MS leadership business, and interactions with the Mafia. Mr. Poizon, as of the writing of this article, also remains unapprehended. In the meantime, check out his gnarly black eye in the most recently-available booking photo. (The U.S. mainstream media are so bad at doing their own research that they call Leeward Grandes a gang separate from MS-13. They are not.) IX. “The Grinch”. “The Grinch” was the leader of the Adams clique, and appears in the indictment only a handful of times, mostly while conducting regular MS leadership business. His more humorous appearance in the indictment is when he sells a BB gun to unsuspecting customer. When the customer returned the gun, Grinch, surprisingly, agreed to refund the money. I would have imagined the Grinch saying, “Fuck off sucker, your dumbass should’ve known better!” Grinch played the ignorance card and said he didn’t know it was a BB gun. Ha, what bullshit. Anybody who knows about firearms can differentiate a BB gun from a real one with a glance. Perhaps the lack of an ejection port or a functioning slide would be dead giveaways? The Grinch, just as well, has not been arrested as of the time that this article is being written. His sickly complexion and deranged sneer are what must have given him the nickname. X. “Bicho”. The nickname says it all. Juan Herrera, aka “Bicho”, was a real BUG, like a nat at a Sunday barbecue that won’t quit. Still, that is putting it very lightly. Bicho was a rent collector, and is documented in the indictment committing some truly frightening witness intimidation. Starting it all off in early 2015, “Defendant Herrera attempted to extort “M.A.” owner of El Cali Viejo Restaurant, located at [omitted] Van Nuys Boulevard.” “What’s up bitch! I’m from Mara Salvatrucha!” Herrera snarled, his pockmarked face and beady, proximate eyes beaming through the security gate of the restaurant. “You gotta pay your rent!” he told her in Spanish. As if made of titanium, the owner of the restaurant told the Bug to bug off. The next day, the Bug returned, ordering an employee of the restaurant to unlock the door so he could collect the taxes, threatening him with death if he did not. Five weeks later, The Bug returned to the El Cali Viejo yet again near closing time, pounded on the security gate, and told another employee of the restaurant to let him in. “If you don’t pay me your rent, I’ll take you out!” he roared. “I'm from Mara Salvatrucha!!!” XI. “Bestia”, and Leeward vs. Coronado tensions. How about that tattoo, though? Bestia (the “Beast”) appears in the indictment, mostly due to the infighting he caused among two MS-13 cliques (his own, Coronado Clique, and the neighboring Leeward Clique) for a period of at least four years. His antics began with his tagging and selling dope within territories that were not those of his particular MS clique. His antics, however, devolved over the years to include threats and acts of violence to fellow MS members, and, perhaps worst of all by gang standards, insults to the MS name. “On or about November 28, 2011, defendant Vides spray-painted “MS-13” on an apartment building located at [# omitted] South Rampart Boulevard […] […] On or about December 12, Vides tagged ”MS” on the wall of a liquor store at [omitted] South Bonnie Brae Street […]” Because of these code violations, Bestia’s clique, Coronado, was forced to cede some of their territory to neighboring cliques as a substitute for a mass beating of the offending clique members. Absent from the indictment throughout much of 2012 and 2013, he reappears in 2014 instigating tension between cliques. “On or about September 24, […] Coronado clique members entered Leeward clique territory and painted graffiti in the area of Hoover and Leeward […]” “[and] Leeward clique members were prepared to retaliate, including by shooting at members of the Coronado clique.” Wasting no time, Bestia came forward, accepted culpability, and agreed to a meeting. During this meeting at Lafayette Park (where MS always meets) Bestia assaulted “CHS-1”, later an undercover informant who at the time was a ranking clique member. This prompted Douglas Gonzalez, aka “Silly”, to point a gun at Coronado clique. Bestia, however, subsequently committed a worse offense by gang standards: “Follow SUR!” Bestia yelled, a reference to “Sureños,” the collective of Southern Califonria Latino gangs who unite under the same banner while incarcerated. The General Motors of Southern California Latino gangs. At any rate, Bestia was now referencing an entity outside of MS-13 for no real reason, apparently, then to cause outrage. Coronado member Sergio Galindo, aka “Killer”, one of the biggest drug runners of the indictment, called “CHS-1” to say that he heard a police dispatch on his scanner radio about the fight in the park. The members fled to “CHS-1” ’s apartment, wherein they decided that Bestia should be “regulated”. “Poizon”, leader of the “Leeward Grandes” clique, authorized the beating. Before the punishment could be administered, “On September 24, defendant Vides spray-painted ‘MS’ on a wall of the first floor hallway in an apartment building located at [omitted] Ocean View Avenue”. For all of Bestia’s trouble, he was assaulted for 39 seconds. Multiples of 13 seconds are added to gang beatings based on the severity of the violation. 13, 26, 39, 52, and so on. Bestia must have liked it, because early that next spring, he “spray-painted ‘MS’ on a building located at [number omitted] West 7th Street, [within Leeward Grandes territory] ”. At the next meeting, Smokey, one of just two African-American individuals named in the indictment, announced that Bestia had brandished a handgun at both the Leeward and Coronado cliques, and that Bestia had said he wanted Ardoin dead. “I’ve got Coronado’s vote to slash that muthafucka’s face!” Smokey raged. When a person’s beatings exceed 39 seconds, sometimes weapons are incorporated into the punishments. It is not known what happened to Vides after this, as he ceases appearing in the indictment. However, in Overt Act #284 of the indictment, an MS-13 clique leader explains that Coronado clique members had murdered Leeward members throughout the gang’s history. XII. “Goofy” Goofy is the only woman named in the indictment, and one of two White individuals arrested in the raid. She appears in the indictment entirely because of her drug sales. The thing that is most striking about Goofy is that she is the mother of at least two children. Her Facebook, which is still up, contains a picture of her and her second child. In the comments section, Goofy explains to one of her friends that the child in the picture is not her first girl, but a different child: “[…] NAW YOU DONT NO [THIS] DAUGHTER I HAD HER IN PRISON THIS TIEMPO!” You read right. Her final Facebook picture and mugshot following the raid also have quite the contrast. Above: Before and after meth, or before and after MS? XIII. “Churro” Henry “Churro” Torres is notable for having been documented for crimes while incarcerated. Upon entry, he used a smuggled cell phone to communicate with MS members on the outside—one of whom was an informant. He received tasks mostly pertaining to smuggling meth and heroin into and out of prison, and “taking out” prisoners who were “Rs”— rapists. Honorable Mention: Jorge Fernandez Does this picture require an explanation? At any rate, here it goes. “Mid City Stoners”, tattooed across his forehead in circus font, is not a clique of MS-13, but the two are neutral allies. Mid City Stoners claims one barrio along the north side of the 10 Freeway in Mid-City, and another along Alameda and Long Beach Avenues near the City of Vernon. Fernandez was not named in the indictment, but was arrested in the raid and faces State charges. You know how they say some folks have “desperation” written on their foreheads? This guy has “Mid City Stoners” TATTOOED on his forehead. Hey, whatever works. CONCLUDING REMARKS The property owners of the casitas and other locations of gang-related crimes have it pretty rough, too. When your property is involved in RICO or VICAR, whether or not you can prove or disprove your knowledge of the crimes, the federal government reserves the right to seize your property, indefinitely or temporarily. P——o and M——a B——s [omitted], who own the property, live in a comfortable home in Mid City. Granted, I don’t know if they knew about their property’s status as a casita, but whatever the case, they will continue to be harassed and terrorized by MS. You know they will be. The priming, framing, and agenda setting in American media have obfuscated the successes of the raid with political doctrines. Some accused Trump of using the raid “to appeal to white supremacists” --- an absurd claim, since the efforts of this indictment were initiated under Bush and continued under Obama. The raid came five months into Donald Trump’s presidency. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Romero v. The United States of America (Central DIstrict of California, Los Angeles; CR No. 17CR00278). Alvarado, Isaias. “Inside the Mara Salvatrucha Gang in Los Angeles: Leadership by Committee, They Kill Each Other and Sell El Chapo's Drugs.” Univision, 23 May 2017, www.univision.com/univision-news/united-states/inside-the-mara-salvatrucha-gang-in-los-angeles-leadership-by-committee-they-kill-each-other-and-sell-el-chapos-drugs. Alvarado, Isaias. “'The Mara Will Never END,' Neighbors Say after Arrests of MS-13 Leaders.” Univision, 23 May 2017, www.univision.com/univision-news/united-states/the-mara-will-never-end-neighbors-say-after-arrests-of-ms-13-leaders. Alvarado, Isaias. “The Violent History of THREE FUGITIVE Leaders of the Ms-13 Gang in Los Angeles.” Univision, 21 June 2017, www.univision.com/univision-news/united-states/the-violent-history-of-three-fugitive-leaders-of-the-ms-13-gang-in-los-angeles.
2 Comments
carlos jr.
11/6/2019 01:10:11 pm
I live in the rampart area for nearly 30 years and now i hear that the coronado clika has a green light on them....whenever they tag other MS clikas cross it out and write '187'....apparently that one foo bestia caused them too much problms
Reply
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
December 2022
Categories
All
|