Authorities have charged 20 members of Puente-13, a San Gabriel Valley-based street gang, for their involvement in drug trafficking, illegal gun sales, shootings as well as the kidnapping of two people, the U.S. Justice Department announced Wednesday.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Los Angeles Field Division, Covina Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and other partnering agencies were expected to hold a news conference Wednesday afternoon after executing federal and state warrants on Puente 13 gang members and their associates.
Among the 20 people, 16 were arrested Wednesday while three others remained at large. One alleged associate is already in state custody, the DOJ said.
The group distributed narcotics, including methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl as well as carfentanil, which is a synthetic opioid 100 times more powerful than fentanyl, according to the federal agency.
During the investigation, authorities said they seized approximately 10 pounds of methamphetamine, thousands of pills containing fentanyl and carfentanil.
Dozens of weapons, including 71 firearms, including 14 rifles, one machine-gun conversion device, four short-barreled rifles and three firearms with obliterated serial numbers, were confiscated. Investigators also said they seized three pieces of body armor, thousands of rounds of ammunition and approximately $9,500 in cash.
The kidnapping charge stemmed from a July 2023 incident when two people were taken against their will because one of the gang members thought they possessed his belongings, taken during a home burglary earlier that month. One of the victims was allowed to leave while the other managed to escape after being severely beaten.
If convicted as charged, nine of the defendants could face a life sentence in federal prison.