-->

• The Varrio Hawaiian Gardens gang is based in Hawaiian Gardens, California.LA Times: Hawaiian Gardens Gang Named in Racketeering Indictment (May 21, 2009) Referred to as a barrio community, residents of Hawaiian Gardens are predominately Latino in the small working-class neighborhood located close to the border of Los Angeles and Orange counties in Southern California. LA Times: Market Has Been the Center (January 9, 2009)

  During what has been called the "largest gang takedown in United States history", 63 alleged gang members were arrested by police and federal agents on May 21, 2009 and face charges involving drugs and racketeering.LA Daily News: L.A.-based Latino Gangs Waged 'Racist Campaign' (May 21, 2009)

• Fast Facts

  1. Hawaiian Gardens is a community located near Los Angeles, CAReuters: U.S. Arrests 88 Suspected Gang Members (May 21, 2009)
  2. May 21, 2009: Several police raids in the community resulted in the arrest of 63 peopleLA Daily News: L.A.-based Latino Gangs Waged 'Racist Campaign' (May 21, 2009)
  3. 32 others were already in custody prior to the raids on May 21, 2009Reuters: U.S. Arrests 88 Suspected Gang Members (May 21, 2009)
  4. The alleged gang members were charged with federal racketeering and drug-traffickingLA Daily News: L.A.-based Latino Gangs Waged 'Racist Campaign' (May 21, 2009)
  5. FBI, DEA, ATF and the local sheriff's department were all involved in the raidsMy Fox LA: Dozens Arrested in LA Gang Sweep (May 21, 2009)
  6. 1,400 law enforcement officials, including 17 SWAT teams participated in the raidsMy Fox LA: Dozens Arrested in LA Gang Sweep (May 21, 2009)
  7. Warrants served in May 2009 stemmed from federal indictments which targeted 147 members of the Varrio Hawaiian Gardens gangMy Fox LA: Dozens Arrested in LA Gang Sweep (May 21, 2009)
  8. The law enforcement operation was in response to the death of LA County sheriff's deputy Jerry Ortiz was killedMy Fox LA: Dozens Arrested in LA Gang Sweep (May 21, 2009)
  9. The plans for the raids began in 2005My Fox LA: Dozens Arrested in LA Gang Sweep (May 21, 2009)

• Racially Motivated Attacks

  Investigation in the Varrio Hawaiian Gardens gang was triggered by the June 2005 murder of Jerry Ortiz, a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy, by a gang member. The Latino gang has been accused of targeting black residents of the Hawaiian Gardens community in racially motivated attacks.

  After the raids on May 21, 2009, U.S. Attorney Thomas O'Brien said that racketeering indictment, which named 57 people, "is designed to eliminate the gang's leadership and drastically shrink the ranks of a criminal enterprise."Reuters: U.S. Arrests 88 Suspected Gang Members (May 21, 2009)

• Related Pages on Mahalo

  Los Angeles | FBI | DEA | ATF | California | Antonio Villaraigosa

Categories

• View History
• Discuss on the Message Board
• Embed this Page
• Share this page