Nuestra Familia

Nuestra Familia
Nuestra Familia symbol
Founded1965; 59 years ago (1965)
Founding locationCorrectional Training Facility, Soledad, California[1]
Years active1965–present
TerritoryUnited States, Mexico, Canada[2]
EthnicityMexican American, Afro-Costa Rican, Afro Latin American, Lunfardo, Lombardo[1]
Membership (est.)250 members[3][4]
ActivitiesDrug trafficking, extortion, robbery, homicide[3]
Allies
Northern Structure[1]
Mexican cartels[5]
Norteños,[3] Black Guerrilla Family, Bloods, Crips, Latin Kings
RivalsAryan Brotherhood[1]
Fresno Bulldogs[1]
Mexican Mafia[1]
Mexikanemi[1]
Sureños[6][1]
Texas Syndicate[1]

Nuestra Familia (Spanish for "our family") is a criminal organization of Mexican American (Chicano) prison gangs with origins in Northern California.[7] While members of the Norteños gang are considered to be foot soldiers of Nuestra Familia, being a member of Nuestra Familia itself does not signify association as a Norteño. Some law enforcement agents speculate that the Nuestra Familia gang, which operates in and out of prisons, influences much of the criminal activity of thousands of Norteño gang members in California.[8] The gang's main sources of income are distributing cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine within prison systems as well as in the community and extorting drug distributors on the streets.[9]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Florida Department of Corrections. "Prison Gangs (continued) - Gangs and Security Threat Group Awareness". Florida Department of Corrections. Archived from the original on 2010-03-12. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
  2. ^ "The Marietta Daily Journal - Ga Supreme Court upholds brothers murder convictions". mdjonline.com. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "Special Issue: Gangs in the United States" (PDF), Narcotics Digest Weekly, vol. 4, no. 40, National Drug Intelligence Center, 2005-10-04, archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-05-24, retrieved 2009-11-14
  4. ^ America's 11 Most Powerful Prison Gangs Michael B Kelley, Business Insider (February 1, 2014)
  5. ^ Gaines, Larry K.; Miller, Roger LeRoy (Jan 9, 2008). Criminal Justice in Action. Cengage Learning.
  6. ^ Fresno Bulldogs People v. Ramirez casetext.com (January 23, 2017)
  7. ^ "Federal indictments crack vast prison crime ring". The Press Democrat. Archived from the original on 2001-05-08. Retrieved 2001-02-21.
  8. ^ "Gang raid targets Nuestra Familia in Salinas". JULIA REYNOLDS Herald Salinas Bureau. Archived from the original on 2012-02-24. Retrieved 2010-04-23.
  9. ^ "Gangs in the United States" (PDF). Narcotics Digest Weekly: 1–12. October 4, 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 24, 2006.