Final Defendants Sentenced in Prison Gang Cases based in Central Valley
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Federal prosecutors made a major dent in one of California's most dangerous gangs.
On Wednesday, U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced sentences in a series of large cases targeting members of the Nuestra Familia prison gang.
Wagner said, this week, the final five defendants were sentenced in U.S. District Court on drug trafficking charges committed to advance the Nuestra Familia gang.
In total, 37 defendants were prosecuted in Fresno and sentenced to federal prison, 18 of them to to10 years or more. One defendant was sentenced to probation.
Law enforcement officers called it a huge breakthrough in the war against one of California's most dangerous gangs.
"They are ruthless, they are truly ruthless. They are regimental and they have been very active since the early 70's and when one is taken down, somebody else pops up," said Hanford Police Chief Carlos Mestas.
Federal prosecutors said all of the defendants pleaded guilty to the charges and did not go to trial.
"It is safe to say the Nuestra Familia has been dealt a staggering blow," said U.S. Attorney Wagner. "In the recently concluded federal case in Fresno, a total of 38 defendants have been convicted and sentenced to date to federal charges, four more have had charges dismissed in favor of significant sentences in the state prison system."
He said they were all members or associates of the Nuestra Familia, a violent Hispanic prison gang based within the California prison system whose members exert control over street-level Norteno gang members engaged in drug trafficking and violent crime throughout the Central Valley.
"They communicate in so many different ways whether its cell phones snuck into prisons, notes, they do a lot of coding either on the phone or by what we call keestering notes," said Mestas.
According to court documents, in 2009 and 2010, the Nuestra Familia trafficked in methamphetamine, distributing the drugs and collecting debts in Fresno, Kings, Tulare, Madera, Merced, Kern and Stanislaus counties.
It also obtained large shipments of drugs from Mexico and distributed them to members of its network for sale throughout the state and elsewhere.
"Much of the violence up and down the towns in the Central Valley can be traced to the criminal activities of the Nuestra Familia and its affiliates," said Wagner. "By sending them to federal prisons in other states, these prosecutions are going to make it difficult for the leaders of NF to communicate with each other and direct the activities of their associates on the streets."
Among those sentenced in Fresno, is a man considered to be one of the highest ranking defendants in the case, 38 year old Shawn Michael Cameron of Hanford. He'll now spend the next 32 years federal prison.
He was able to get a lot of the street gang, Norteno members to do a lot of the work for him and that was a lot of the drug trafficking, violence," said Mestas. "There was a lot of violence we weren't able to make arrests on, but we were able to get them through the drug trafficking; some we believe came from Mexico through the drug cartels."
A number of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies helped investigate and prosecute the cases including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the FBI, Kings County Narcotic Task Force; the California Department of Justice; and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, as well as numerous Central Valley police departments and the U.S. Marshals Service
"They mostly operate in small towns, in Northern California," said Mestas. "When I say Northern California, it's generally from Bakersfield to the Oregon border."
More Nuestra Familia members or associates were also prosecuted in Sacramento, bringing the total now behind bars to 69.
"We want to let the people know that while this is a success right now we'll continue to work to address these organizations and the type of violent crime that they are involved in," said Wagner.
