Massive Mexican Mafia takedown

A multi-agency task force led by the FBI executed a series of pre-dawn raids, targeting a criminal network that officials say turned American neighborhoods into a 'Gangsta's Paradise.' The investigation uncovered a sophisticated system of extortion and violence directed from inside California prisons.

Many of those charged were already in custody, but the operation successfully snared several high-ranking leaders who were operating on the streets.

This takedown is being hailed as one of the most significant blows to the Mexican Mafia's influence in recent years.