DEA Targets Riverside Street Gang with Alleged Ties to Mexican Mafia

“Operation Promise” Results in Federal Charges for 20 Members and Associates of Eastside Rivas

JAN 27 –RIVERSIDE, CA (JAN 27) – DEA and other law enforcement authorities announced the arrest of six defendants linked to a Riverside street gang that is alleged to act under the control of the Mexican Mafia and engage in the trafficking of methamphetamine. The six defendants are among 20 charged in three criminal complaints filed yesterday afternoon in United States District Court and unsealed this morning. Nine of the defendants charged in the federal cases are already in state custody, in some cases on related charges, and five of the defendants are currently being sought by authorities.

The federal criminal cases are part of a coordinated crackdown on the Eastside Rivas (ESR), a 20-year-old street gang with about 500 members that claims territory on the east side of the City of Riverside. The federal investigation, which started in November 2008, led to the criminal complaints that were unsealed today and allege numerous methamphetamine transactions, as well as tactics that ESR uses to maintain power and to cooperate with the Mexican Mafia, to which ESR pays monetary tribute referred to as “taxes” or “rent.”

“Our communities deserve to exist without fear and intimidation inflicted by violent drug gangs,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Timothy J. Landrum. “Today’s arrests should significantly impact the violent drug related activity that has wreaked havoc throughout the eastside of Riverside. This effort, as part of Operation Promise, is a promise to our citizen’s of the continued commitment of law enforcement at the federal, state and local levels to keep our streets safe.”