More than a dozen leaders and members of a San Pedro gang considered “one of the most active and violent street gangs in the Los Angeles area” were arrested Tuesday, Oct. 7 in a series of early morning raids, authorities announced.
Of those arrested, eight alleged gang members face federal charges and five face state charges, authorities said. Six others included in the federal case were already in custody, said Laura Eimiller, FBI spokeswoman.
The raids at 17 different locations were the culmination of a multi-year investigation by the FBI, the Los Angeles Police Department and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, which led to the identities of “numerous (Rancho San Pedro gang) subjects,” officials said. Most of the raids took place at addresses in San Pedro; one was in Carson.
“Today’s operation will no doubt cripple the gang’s activity and makes the streets of San Pedro safer,” said Sean Haworth, FBI assistant special agent in charge in Los Angeles.
LAPD and FBI officials announce the results of a gang sweep targeting narcotics and firearms during a press conference in San Pedro on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman speaks during a press conference announcing the results of a gang sweep targeting narcotics and firearms by the LAPD and FBI in San Pedro on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
HSI Special Agent Eddy Wang speaks during a press conference announcing the results of a gang sweep targeting narcotics and firearms by the LAPD and FBI in San Pedro on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman, center, speaks during a press conference announcing the results of a gang sweep targeting narcotics and firearms by the LAPD and FBI in San Pedro on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
California Attorney General Rob Bonta speaks during a press conference announcing the results of a gang sweep targeting narcotics and firearms by the LAPD and FBI in San Pedro on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
LAPD Captain Brent McGuyre speaks during a press conference announcing the results of a gang sweep targeting narcotics and firearms by the LAPD and FBI in San Pedro on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
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LAPD and FBI officials announce the results of a gang sweep targeting narcotics and firearms during a press conference in San Pedro on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Thirteen federal defendants face charges of Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations conspiracy and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, while the fourteenth faces a charge of felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, according to an affidavit unsealed Tuesday.
The investigation focused on the gang’s “shot-callers” and leaders, officials said at a news conference.
Along with the arrests, nine guns – four rifles and five pistols – were seized as well as ammunition, parts to make ghost guns and narcotics, including fentanyl, and methamphetamine, officials said. The amount of narcotics seized was not yet known.
“To my local community, I hope this is further evidence of the lengths that we will go to to ensure that you have a safe, beautiful San Pedro that you deserve,” Capt. Brent McGuyre, who heads the LAPD’s Harbor Division, said at the news conference. “You deserve to go out in your community and enjoy the richness of the beach, the parks, everything that San Pedro has to offer without being afraid and terrorized by this local gang.”
Officials said the targets of the RICO conspiracy participated in a variety of ways. Some issued orders from prison on behalf of the Mexican Mafia to include the collection of taxes, drug distribution, firearms transfers and decisions about who held positions within the gang.
Others committed or planned to commit violent acts to preserve and expand the gang’s criminal operations and to enhance their own standing within the gang, officials said. Some engaged in drug trafficking, robbery and extortion or would illegally maintain firearms and ammunition. Some would carry firearms or direct others to carry firearms in order to threaten acts of violence, including conspiracies to commit murder and assault.
The Rancho San Pedro gang has an estimated 500 members divided into six subsets, two of which are female cliques, and claims San Pedro as its territory, authorities said. The multi-generational gang originated in the 1970s and operates under the control of Mexican Mafia members who are incarcerated in California state prisons, officials said. Members make payments to the Mexican Mafia in return for their protection.
McGuyre, who captains the LAPD’s Harbor Division, said he hopes news of the raids leads young people in the community to rethink joining a gang.
“I hope you listen to the sentences you are hearing and the charges that these people are facing and you look ahead to your potential future as you’re making that decision,” he said.
“To anyone who thinks they are going to fill that gap from this gang or rival gangs, I just want you to know that as much preparation and resources as we put into this takedown, we have also put into ensuring that the gap does not get filled,” McGuyre said, adding that extra resources would be in the community in an effort to prevent any further violence.
Most of the federal defendants, if convicted of the charges in the affidavit, could face up to life in prison, officials said.
Information about those facing state charges was not immediately available.
The crackdown was the latest of multiple sweeps in San Pedro and the Harbor Area since 2011.
In October 2023, 27 people – including 10 in the Harbor area – were arrested in connection with a Mexican cartel-affiliated criminal operation as part of Operation Safe Harbor.
Three gang busts took place in the Harbor Area that year, with the other two occurring in February and May, the latter netting nearly 30 arrests.
In 2019, a sweep of a San Pedro-based street gang netted 14 arrests, firearms, narcotics and cash. The arrests, of Rancho San Pedro gang members and associates, was the culmination of a two-year investigation into the crew after authorities in 2017 recognized a rise in violent crime and gang activity in San Pedro. The gang was accused of operating under the control of the Mexican Mafia.
And multiple federal law enforcement agencies coordinated with LAPD for Operation Pirate Town in 2011 to arrest 81 people, the majority of them Rancho San Pedro gang members, while serving an injunction to limit their activities and suing property owners who allowed criminals to sell guns and drugs in their buildings.
Originally Published: October 7, 2025 at 12:35 PM PDT