Man Arrested as Part of 2-Year Probe of Mexican Mafia
An alleged Mexican Mafia gang member indicted on federal racketeering charges has been arrested after spending five months as a fugitive.
Sammy (Negro) Villalba, 28, was arrested Monday at the Fireside Inn in Buena Park by members of the Gangster Apprehension Team, a task force of FBI agents and local police that targeted the Mexican Mafia during a two-year investigation, authorities said.
That probe resulted in a 26-count indictment unsealed in May charging 22 suspected members and associates of the Mexican Mafia with violations of the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. The indictment alleges that the Mexican Mafia attempted to control drug trafficking by organizing hundreds of Latino street gangs in Southern California.
Of those named in the indictment, Villalba was the only one who had not been arrested.
The Mexican Mafia formed behind bars in the late 1950s and for years has controlled drug dealing, prostitution and gambling in the California penal system. But realizing the moneymaking potential of organizing Latino gangs, authorities say, the prison-based syndicate has attempted to flex its muscle on the streets.
The federal indictment alleges that Villalba conspired to assault and murder drug dealers who refused to pay the Mexican Mafia street “taxes.”
Villalba is scheduled to appear Oct. 2 in federal court in Downtown Los Angeles for a post-indictment arraignment, prosecutors said.
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