Feds Announce Sweeping CA Nuestra Familia Prison Gang Arrests

SAN JOSE, CA — Federal prosecutors in the Bay Area announced charges Thursday against 55 people in connection with the Nuestra Familia prison gang following a five-year investigation in what Craig Fair, the special agent in charge for the FBI’s San Francisco division, called one of the largest gang takedowns in the department’s history.

Twelve members of El Hoyo Palmas and San Jose Grande, two San Jose-based Norteno street gangs which prosecutors said operated under Nuestra Familia, were among those indicted on racketeering-related charges.

Prosecutors accused the Nuestra Familia gang of operating “street regiments” throughout Northern California. Members of the regiments would collect monthly dues from illegal activities like drug dealing, which would be funneled back to the Nuestra Familia, according to the indictments.

“The intersection of drug trafficking and violence perpetrated by gangs is all too common, it is a continual cycle of lawlessness that plagues many of our Bay Area communities," said Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Shannon in a news release. "It is unacceptable. By putting together our collective authorities we are in a better position to systematically target and bring to justice those responsible for violent crime on our streets.”

A number of local and regional law enforcement agencies from across the Bay Area assisted in the investigation, dubbed “Operation Quiet Storm.” The two San Jose-based gangs were accused of generating profits through narcotics trafficking, robbery and other criminal activities, according to Acting United States Attorney Stephanie Hinds.

Indictments against both gangs were filed Aug. 12 and were unsealed Thursday, when the defendants were scheduled to make their initial federal court appearances.

“These two indictments represent a major law enforcement effort to curb street gang violence,” Hinds said. “The operation demonstrates that this office, in coordination with our law enforcement partners, will use all the tools at our disposal to quell the violence in our streets.”

Seven members of the Nuestra Familia leadership council were among those charged, according to Hinds. These members were accused of running a network of regiments across 28 counties in the state, Hinds said. She added that the major hubs were in San Jose, Salinas and the Central Valley.

If convicted, defendants accused of participating in the El Hoyo Palmas gang could face up to 33 years in prison. The defendants suspected in the San Jose Grande indictment could face up to life in prison.