Geographical Cocaine Trail from Peru to Long Beach

Global Organized Crime:
Cocaine Trail from Peru to Long Beach
Kimberly Saldana

Global Organized Crime; Cocaine Trail from Peru to Long Beach / Saldana 2
Long Beach is one of the many cities within Los Angeles County controlled by the
Mexican Mafia. The Mexican Mafia is one of the most powerful criminal organizations on the
street and prison level. They have close ties with the Mexican cartels where cocaine is brought
into United States territory to distribute amongst their soldiers, the street gangs. Primarily, the
East Side Longo gang in Long Beach does the dirty work for the Mexican Mafia where they
manufacture and sell cocaine. Other dirty work consists of kidnapping, murder, and money
laundering. Most importantly, the Mexican Mafia runs a narcotics business on the streets and
from within the prison system, where they send out orders to the gang members who buy and sell
illicit drugs. With the governing of the Mexican Mafia in the city of Long Beach, crime
involving murder and drugs are occurring daily. Drugs are controlling the city and now cartels
oversees are taking over the metropolitan city and eliminating the individuals in between. By
tracking the geographical trail of cocaine from Peru to Colombia, through Mexico and reaching
the Los Angeles County area, there will be a better understanding on how cocaine has been
influencing Long Beach both economically and socially.
Illicit drugs have been a problem in the United States since the early 20th century.
Substances such as methamphetamine, marijuana, heroin, crack, and cocaine rose to the black
market at a rapid rate. Currently, in California medical marijuana has been legalized throughout
the whole state. There is a requirement of medical cards, but no one can actually identify who is
using the drug legally or illegally. According to Deputy District Attorney Vance Davis from the
Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office at the Long Beach Branch, he states that
marijuana no longer is the popular drug in society, since it has now been legalized.1 What he
claims he has been seeing in the judicial system is the constant abuse of cocaine and crack. Crack
1
Davis, Vance. Interview by author. September 3, 2015.

is a derivative of cocaine and it can be mass produced because it only requires a small amount of
pure cocaine to get a hit. It’s in the shape of a rock, contrary to cocaine which is powder. Crack
can be sold at a lower cost since it is not considered pure enough to deal. The hit is cheap, but the
hit addicts the individual instantly. Thus, creating a consumer market for the dealers. On a
greater scale regarding illicit drugs, the National Institute on Drug Abuse collected data in 2013
from approximately 67,800 individuals in the Unites States on their usage of narcotics.2 The
results concluded that amongst young adults ranging from 18 to 29, 59% of them have used or
are currently using illicit drugs.2 The large number of consumption of narcotics in the United
States by young adults is the drive for more supply from the black market. The black market,
specifically in the city of Long Beach, does not obtain its supply on U.S soil; there is an
exchange made with cartels located south of the border coming all the way from Peru.
Peru has a large area of coca cultivation in the Andes Mountains and the terrorist group,
Sendero Luminoso, are the ones that run this business. Sendero Luminoso is considered a terrorist
organization, primarily by the United States, because its primary goal has been to overthrow the
Peruvian government and coerce a communist command on the nation.3 Not only were there
goals to change the government, but there was also unnecessary violence on the Peruvian people.
Jennifer, a native of Peru, recalls that in the early 1980s when Sendero Luminoso first gained
power, there were constant terrorist attacks on Peruvian civilians.4 Attacks such as bus bombings
and street murders in broad daylight were being seen on a daily basis. Peruvian National Security
was being threatened and people were dying all over the country. During the day and on the city
2
"Nationwide Trends." DrugFacts:. June 1, 2015. Accessed September 10, 2015.
3
Gregory, Kathryn. "Shining Path, TupacAmaru (Peru, Leftists)." Council on Foreign Relations. August 27, 2009. Accessed
November 3, 2015.
4
Padilla, Jennifer. Interview by author. September 1, 2015.

streets, Peru had been living in constant fear of random attacks, but constant exchanges dealing
with drugs had been running through the streets as well.
Sendero Luminoso are behind the terrorist attacks and they are also behind the trafficking
of coca. Peru is the “world’s largest producer of coca leaves and is rapidly expanding domestic
cocaine production”, contrary to the belief that Colombia is the leading producer in the
substance.5 According to data acquired by the White House administration, Peru has seen a
decrease of coca cultivation from 2001 to 2014, but an increase in production. With only 46,500
hectares cultivated, there has been a production of 285 metric tons in 2014, which is an increase
from 255 seen in 2001.6 Since Peru is the country of source for coca, there are constant
exchanges amongst drug dealers who take the coca leaves up to Colombia for cocaine
production. It’s a constant cycle because if Sendero Luminoso would stop growing coca leaf
crops, then Colombia would not have enough coca to produce cocaine. This is not the case.
Sendero Luminoso do not lose anything as the leading terrorist group in Peru because they are
constantly growing their business and power. The Combating Terrorism Center states that today,
the Sendero Luminoso movement is still eliciting narcotic trade, but now they are using the
profits to obtain advanced ammunitions.5 As Sendero Luminoso are rising in power once again,
they are still transporting coca to Colombia which is creating an even bigger business with the
Mexican cartels.
Colombian cartels are notorious for their drug trafficking business. Their power and
terrorization is glamorized in popular culture in films like Colombiana, Blow, Scarface and most
recently, the Netflix show, Narcos. These drug lords, more specifically Pablo Escobar, are being
5
Zech, Steven. "Drug Trafficking, Terrorism, and Civilian Self-Defense in Peru | Combating Terrorism Center at West Point."
Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. April28, 2014. Accessed September 10, 2015.
6
"Coca in the Andes." The White House. 2014. Accessed September 10, 2015.

idealized in society to the same extent Italian Mobsters have been seen in cinema history. The
cartel business is anything but glamor. There is consistent criminal activity and wrong doing on
innocent bystanders who become victims of the ambition of the cartel members. The terror in
Colombia began in the 1970s with marijuana trafficking. These marijuana traffickers began to
explore the realm of coca and cocaine became the leading exported merchandise to the United
States. In those days, cocaine was processed for $1,500 per kilo in labs located deep within the
jungle. These packs would then be sold in the United States for nearly $50,000 per kilo.7 The
cocaine market was in full effect.
Medellin and Cali house the most powerful and the most dangerous cartels in all of
Colombia. The Medellin Cartel was led by drug lord, Pablo Escobar. Not only did Escobar lead
the cartel, but he founded it. This came around because he was a common street thief who
learned how to profit out of the criminal activity already seen in the city of Medellin.7 The
Medellin Cartel began as a cocaine business where merchandise was flown to the United States
in small airplanes and money was transferred back to Colombia in the same way. He would
pocket all the earnings from the trafficking and he is responsible for 80% of the drugs in the
United States.8 On the other hand, this business was not enough for Escobar. He was ambitious
for complete control over the Colombian government. Due to such a mindset, Pablo Escobar has
been accountable for murder of more than a hundred government officials, police officers,
prosecutors, judges, journalists and bystanders.7 Pablo Escobar thrived on power and he strove to
let people know who owned the business. Nobody was too small of a threat for him. In only one
month, December 1992, there were ten bombings in Medellin and in the twenty years of his
7
"The Colombian Cartels." PBS. Accessed September 11, 2015.
8 Villatoro, Manuel. "La Verdadera HistoriaDe Pablo Escobar, El Narcotraficante Que Asesinó a 10.000 Personas." Hoycinema.
November 16, 2014. Accessed November 11, 2015.

reign, approximately 15,000 people were murdered.9 His period of terror did not last long
because on December 2, 1993, the law enforcement team in Colombia tracked him down and
killed him. The man behind the cartel was dead, but the drug trafficking was still thriving.
Los Urabenos are one of the last active national criminal organizations in Colombia.
Stemming from the northwestern region of Colombia, Don Mario aka, Daniel Rendon Herrera,
was el capo. He ran the traffic of cocaine, drug sales, murder, kidnapping, and extortion.10
Nothing Colombia has not seen before. From 2007 until 2009, Don Mario was responsible for
3,000 homicides and became the richest man in the country. After his capture, his brother, Dario
Antonio, took over the drug trafficking businesses and the control over Los Urabenos. As of
2013, this criminal organization had an estimated amount of 2,000 active members who are the
most dangerous criminals in the country.10 Los Urabenos still play a significant role in the drug
business because they have kept the allied ties from the previous Colombian cartels with the ones
in Mexico. Colombia receives their coca from Peru and in Colombia they produce cocaine, but
with Mexico, they transport cocaine together into the United States. Primarily, Colombia is
dealing with the Sinaloa Cartel and most importantly, Joaquin Guzman, “El Chapo”.
Mexico houses the Sinaloa Cartel, which is the largest and most powerful drug trafficking
organization in the country and in the world. This organization switched from trafficking
marijuana to cocaine due to Matta Ballestero’s connection with the Medellin Cartel. Since the
late 1970s, an establishment of routes and patterns were created between Colombia and Mexico
where bulk shipments of cocaine was transported via airplane.11 This method of transportation is
still used today. Colombia no longer has Pablo Escobar to run the Medellin Cartel so the next
9
"Las Cifras Del Mal." Cifras De Atentados Y Víctimas De Escobar. November 11, 2013. Accessed November 5, 2015.
10
"Urabeños." Profile. Accessed November 11, 2015.
11
"Sinaloa Cartel." Profile. Accessed November 23, 2015.

organization to rise was Los Urabenos. The Sinaloa Cartel and Los Urabenos are what continue
the cocaine market. Unlike any other cartel in Mexico, one of the unique characteristics of the
Sinaloa Cartel is the relation of blood. All members are blood related or bonded by marriage.
The close tie creates a strong union of loyalty and trust. With “El Chapo” at the head of the
organization, he took pointers from Colombia and infiltrated the Mexican government through
their elites and their political figures. In George W. Grayson’s book, The Story of Mexico’s Most
Dangerous Criminal Organizations and Their Impact on U.S Security, states the fact that the
government does not impede the import, export, nor the processing of products made by the
cartel. As a matter of fact, government agencies often cooperate in the business as well. Grayson
also reports that there is a 1-2-3 system where there is a payoff to authorities of a sum of $1
million, there is $2 million for a coastal zone, and then $3 million to the U.S-Mexico border
patrol. Having political parties and even presidential candidates covering their moves was ideal
in order for them to continue the drug trade.
Cocaine is the Sinaloa Cartel’s most valuable export. Their drug trafficking consists of
more than just cocaine, such as heroin and marijuana, but for the most part cocaine is the better
item. They control an approximate total of 35% of cocaine exportation from Colombia which
allows them to dominate the illegal drug market in the United States.12 A high demand for illicit
drugs fuels the cartels to supply more and sell products at a higher rate. The United States and
Mexican border is one of the most surveilled borders in the world because of the influx of illegal
immigration and illegal transportation of drugs. The cartel has thus thought of more creative
ways to get their drugs over to the United States. Cocaine has been found hidden in frozen
sharks, sprinkled on doughnuts, and of course, the infamous cartel tunnels.12 It had been
12
Woody, Christopher. "'El Chapo' Guzmán's Key Role in theGlobal Cocaine Trade Is Becoming Clearer." Business Insider.
August 16, 2015. Accessed November 23, 2015.

perceived that the cartel tunnels were no longer in usage since the DEA (Drug Enforcement
Agency) cut down on a lot of them, but there are still so many to be found.
“El Chapo” Guzman is the mastermind behind the construction of cross-border tunnels.
According to the New Yorker, the first cross-border narcotunnnel was built in 1989.13 The
tunnels create a route from Garita de Otay in Tijuana to Otay Mesa in San Diego. Within these
tunnels, there is electricity, small trains, elevators, and the ability to fit full-sized men standing
up. These tunnels are used to transport large quantities of cocaine and in 2013, there was a
supertunnel raid conducted in San Diego where 327 pounds of cocaine was uncovered.13 The
accessibility the Sinaloa Cartel has to transport drugs into the United States is impactful and until
now, there has not been a method where drug trafficking can be stopped at its root.
This geographical route of cocaine transportation starting in Peru and making its way into
Colombia and Mexico is not the first time it has been seen. Christian M. Allen wrote a book, An
Industrial Geography of Cocaine, where he also noticed the pattern. The ultimate question of the
source of cocaine is the reason for coca cultivation to start in Peru. Coca plants have been
growing in the Andes of Peru since the Incan Empire. The reason for this being is that coca
flourishes on steep mountains and extreme climate conditions. Coca cultivation does not cease
because the farmers who are planting this crop have an income that rises and they build a career
out of this market. Allen has noted that “hundreds of thousands of impoverished and landless
peasants…take advantage of the opportunities offered by coca.”14 Any desperate field worker in
Peru with access to acres and acres of land will eventually fall into the cocaine market because of
its easy supply and high demand.
13
Reel, Monte. "How El Chapo Builds His Tunnels." The New Yorker. Accessed November 23, 2015.
14
Allen, Christian. "From Coca to Cocaine." In An Industrial Geography of Cocaine. New York, New York: Routledge, 2005.

Colombians have been involved in the drug trade long before drugs became popular in
the United States. The excessive consumption and production of cocaine began in the 1950s in
the South American country. However, it did not become a product of traffic until the late 1970s
because marijuana was losing its business. Christian M. Allen observed how creative and
ingenious Colombians were in smuggling their merchandise. It began with private aircraft
transportations of smuggled cocaine into the United States and it grew from there until Colombia
became one of the world’s largest cocaine producers and distributors.14 As Colombia’s cocaine
production grew at rapid rates and with extensive supply numbers, the need for transportation
and distribution arose. The path from Colombia to Mexico is short enough for the cartels to
connect. The Medellin cartel began this alliance with the Sinaloa Cartel, but now Los Urabenos
use it too. Colombians dominated this cocaine market because of their dominance at refining and
smuggling the narcotic in the most discreet ways possible.14 They worked efficiently enough to
control the society around them. Their charismatic ability and ambitious ideas led to an alliance
developed in Mexico. This alliance facilitated the transportation across borders and led to the
cocaine produced in Colombia to ultimately enter the United States. Peru serves as the cultivator
of coca, Colombia takes over and produces cocaine, and finally, Mexico serves as the transporter
to the United States and to any other place desired. All three countries create the cocaine trail
that releases a drug accessible all across the world.
Mexico’s primary cartel, the Sinaloa Cartel ran by “El Chapo” Guzman, transports
cocaine over the Mexican-American border with such ease because the Mexican Mafia is at the
receiving end. The Mexican Mafia was founded in 1956 at the Deuel Vocational Institute in
Tracy, California. Predominately a Mexican-American group where the inmates in prison
decided to join forces against the other racial organized groups such as, the Black Guerilla

Family and the Aryan Brotherhood.1 According to research conducted by David Skarbek in 2011,
there is an estimated number of 155-300 “official members” in the Mexican Mafia, while the
9,000 foot soldiers of Surenos roam around the streets of Los Angeles County.15 These foot
soldiers assist the Mafia with carrying out death hits and organizing the narcotic market. The
difference between the Mexican Mafia and the Surenos is the rank. Mafia members sit on the top
of the pyramid like the chairmen of the board, while the Surenos consist of Hispanic street gangs
that pledge allegiance to the Mafia.16 To give an example of how the Mexican Mafia works
while on the street level, there was a case investigated by the Long Beach Police Department
where a murder occurred in 2007. The synopsis of this case follows a man who worked the
streets of Long Beach selling narcotics. He was selling in the East Side Longo (ESL) territory
claiming to be a member of the gang. This subject was given the authority and power to take
such actions in order to bring in revenue to the organization. When a member of the ESL gang
ended up in prison, the Detective and this subject’s name came up. Rumors began to spread of a
snitch within the prison and eventually on the streets. A year later, a Mexican Mafia member
comes out of prison with a well-developed murder plot against this subject. Worst comes to
worse and this subject is murdered in a car in Long Beach. The Mexican Mafia ordered this kill,
or as they call it “the green light”, because of his involvement as an informant for the Long
Beach Police Department. The revenue from the drugs was not enough to protect this subject
from the Eme because working for both sides doesn’t work well in the Mafia.17
15 Skarbek, David. "Governance and Prison Gangs." Am Polit Sci Rev American Political Science Review, 2011, 702-16.
Accessed November 27, 2015. JSTOR.
16 Zamora, Chris. "Long Beach, CA: Civil Law and Technology Curbing CorporateStreet Gangs." Lecture, July 29, 2013.
17
Patrick. "Police Report." Interview by author. October 1, 2015.

The Mexican Mafia is classified as a prison gang. The organization consists of all the
Surenos in the street gangs of Los Angeles County. However, when a Sureno is incarcerated, he
has the ability to become a member of the Mafia. As a gang within the prison system, Mafia
members have the ability to extort other people who are on the outside. This jail-based extortion
is executed through monthly taxes. The tax system is independently curated for gangs with high
probability rates of being arrested and imprisoned. David Skarbek lists a number of hypotheses
where the extortion becomes clearer: extortion of people who has someone in prison, criminals
who live in the Mafia jurisdiction, and tax payments for protection and service.15 In Long Beach,
Surenos have to pay a monthly tax of $400 and these illegal proceeds make their way to the full-
fledged Mexican Mafia members. The money will be shared amongst members depending on
territory controlled by those individuals. This is how the Mafia takes care of all their soldiers in
Los Angeles County.
Surenos control the many cities making up Los Angeles County, but in Long Beach, the
Longos dominate the territory. The identification of the Sureno clan consist of tattoos depicting a
black hand, the word Sureno, eMe, or more simply the number 13. Regarding the Longos, their
tattoos consist of Mafia tattoos but also others such as; ESL, NSL, Longos, and Longero. In
general, the Longos street gangs operate in a three process cycle. Guns, fear, and drugs are the
methods used by the Mafia to intimidate society and its individuals. Guns are needed to create
fear within a community, when the fear is already instilled, the gang can now sell drugs.16 This
process is a cycle that leads to domination wherever they go. The Surenos primary action is to
take control over neighborhoods and sell drugs in order to make commission.15
The narcotics Surenos traffic comes from the Sinaloa cartel, but apart from them, the
Mexican Mafia also accumulates revenue from common, street drug dealers. One of the main

reasons why drug dealers pay taxes to the Mafia is due to the fact that they are not an
organization. Drug dealers do not have any help or support in prison, so when they are
incarcerated, they are not vulnerable prey to other gangs. These drug dealers are solely Hispanics
which is why the Mafia would accept them and agree to provide authority. The Long Beach
Police Department had a case in 2010 where a man associated with a Sureno gang served as a
drug dealer for the Mafia. This man was not a Sureno, but since he hung out with them, he was
considered a gang member. Some of his friends and associates got arrested for a murder and
since he was the witness, he was threatened to keep his mouth shut. Thinking that the leverage he
had of not being a Sureno would help him, he decided to flee to Mexico and hide out in a family
home. Word went into the prisons where the Mexican Mafia heard about what he did, so they
sent a message to the Sinaloa Cartel where the man was hunted and ultimately killed. He
suffered a brutal death and when his family received the body, it was in a bag.18 This is a
concrete example of what the Mexican Mafia will do to someone who works for them. This man
was not a Sureno, but he was a drug dealer and whatever he said could hurt or help the Mafia.
Although terror and control is inflicted on individuals who do not cooperate with the Mafia’s
structure, the ultimate outcome they seek is to prove their power and to make others outside of
prison aware of who runs the show.
As emphasized previously, the Mexican Mafia is a large organization with many
branches. The manner that these branches are controlled are by Sureno leaders. Sureno
shotcallers have earned their position by displaying loyalty and violence on the streets and in
custody. The body of the Sureno organization operates on three levels; the streets, county jail,
and state prison. However for purposes of this paper, the Sureno organization is being focused
18
Karen. Interview by author. December 2015.

solely on Los Angeles County when in fact, this structure is true throughout the state of
California.
Los Angeles County has been divided up by the Sureno organization into seven regional
areas. One of these areas is known as the Harbor Area where Long Beach is located. The
Mexican Mafia member that controls the Harbor Area (HA) was originally a Sureno street gang
member from the area. He rose through the ranks conducting criminal activity on the streets,
county jails and in state prison, in order to become a full-fledged member. This man, Tonito, is
the leader of the Mexican Mafia organization at the moment but smaller leaders are needed to
handle other territories within the organization. The leader tends to be someone who is on parole
or who has a strong association with someone in the Mexican Mafia. The leader oversees the
duties of the Surenos: how they’re handling the money, the drugs, what they are doing on the
streets, who the next target on the green light list is, and so on. This leader is the one who
collects the taxes from the drug dealers and as a reward, he is usually given a substantial amount
of money for his service.15 When a Mexican Mafia member needs drugs, he usually calls upon
one of these leaders to send in the package. In one incident, an arrested man was heading for trial
in the upcoming weeks, so he contacted his mother who was a seamstress. In trial, he was
allowed to wear clothing provided by his family, therefore, his mother sewed into the trouser
waistband a couple grams of cocaine. She also sewed in more of the drug into the blazer jacket.
If the operation would have gone through successfully, the man would be able to rip open the
trousers and give the cocaine to the members once he was back in his cell. This is typically the
way things are trafficked in the prison system. Being incarcerated does not stop the organization
from functioning.

Law enforcement deals with these incidents by tightening security with the inmates and
their visitors in correctional facilities. However, this only strengthens the Mexican Mafia’s
position within correctional facilities because the value of cocaine increases. For every two
smugglers, eight more make it into the facility successfully. Shortages only increase the value of
the illegal contraband. The governance of the Mexican Mafia within the prison system has
advantages where they can influence people all around the nation. In prison, drug dealers from
all around the nation come together. This facilitates the exposure and manufacture of what the
Mafia produces. Due to the extended hand the Mafia has all across the United States,
prosecutors and law enforcement officials claim this organization to be the most dangerous in
California.
By laying down the foundation of how the Mexican Mafia was first founded and how it
operates, the connection becomes clearer. The distribution network can be clearly defined by
three primary criminal organizations; the Colombian cartel (which operate as the manufacturers),
the Sinaloa Cartel (which operates as the transporters), and the Mexican Mafia (which serves as
the point of sells). This organization is so big that you cannot see where this network starts or
ends. Nevertheless, the majority of Long Beach citizens are oblivious of how this transnational
illegal network is affecting their daily lives. For example, if you asked an everyday Long Beach
citizen how the Colombian cartel is connected to their city, they would not have a clue. If you
asked them if they’ve seen any gang graffiti or read about a shooting in the Press-Telegram, they
would be able to relate to that question. The Long Beach community was affected by gang
violence in November of 2015 when an Asian kid, Jeffrey Keo, was shot to death by known gang
members. The community was directly impacted by this clearly defined violence. Every parent
in that area empathize to the father’s suffering and they grew concern for the safety of their own

children. The most worrisome detail of this incident was that the shooting occurred near
McArthur Park and an elementary school which is supposed to be a family-friendly area. The
importance of this location is not missed by gang members. Gang members are aware of the
benefits that are generated through the fear of this type of violent act within the community. The
benefits is notoriety and it allows the gang to operate with immunity as the community is fearful
of becoming involved. Thus becoming a target for retribution from the gang. Committing
violence truly affects a community when schools, parks, and libraries are where these events take
place. These institutions are commonly the safe-zone of a neighborhood. The motives for why
this incident is associated with the criminal organizations of South America can be clearly
highlighted because the primary illegal funds for local Sureno gangs is the street sales of
narcotics.
In recent years, the lines separating the Mexican-American borders have begun to vanish.
The Mexican Cartel, primarily the Sinaloa Cartel, has closed the gap between the criminal
organizations separating a cartel and a gang and they have created a cartel-gang alliance. Prison
gangs like the Mexican Mafia have taken on the roles as money launderers, weapon smugglers,
and enforcers for the cartel.19 By working with the cartel, the gang is given bulk packages of
drugs where they can sell them on the streets for a much higher price. Referencing to the cycle of
fear, guns and drugs, the large amounts of drugs can be distributed to the neighborhoods the
Mafia controls. The most significant detail of such an alliance is the ability the Sinaloa cartel has
on conducting and executing operations without even entering United States territory. No longer
19
Cawley, Marguerite. "Mexico Cartel-US Gang Ties Deepening as Criminal Landscape Fragments." Mexico Cartel-US Gang
Ties Deepening as Criminal Landscape Fragments. April 18, 2014. Accessed December 13, 2015.

is the threat of gang related violence a problem in society and in communities, the violence made
by the Sinaloa Cartel is threatening the lives of American citizens.
Recent investigations made by the Long Beach Police Departments have concluded that
the cartel-gang alliance has been strengthening over the years, primarily in the city of Long
Beach. Representatives from the cartels are being sent over to assist in the transportation of
narcotics within the United States. These representatives function as collectors for the money
made by the narcotic sales. They transport the money back to Mexico and into the hands of the
El Chapo and the Sinaloa Cartel.20 The job of these representatives is very important for the
cartel to infiltrate themselves into the organized crime occurring in Long Beach.
The more descriptive analysis of how these representatives work is the following. The
several integrate couriers that conduct exchanges of narcotics for money is widely spread
amongst the Mafia organization. The most common way to hand over the narcotic-money
exchange is to split a U.S dollar bill and give one half to a member in the cartel. The member
who has the other half in the United States then calls the cartel and gives them the serial number
found on the bill. The courier then receives that serial number and when he crosses the border
into California, he has to say the serial number that was given to him. The meet up is just the
exchange of drugs and money and both members go on their way. The courier goes back to the
cartel with the money and the gang member goes back to the streets where he can now sell drugs.
Mexican Nationals, also known as paisas, are sent from the cartel to California to oversee
the operations executed by the Mexican Mafia. These paisas are typically 18 to 19 year olds who
are housed near warehouses where the drugs are being kept.21 The Mexican Nationals are
increasingly operating amongst Sureno gang members involved in the narcotics trade. An
20
Gang Detective. Interview by author. 2015.
21
Narcotics Detective. Interview by author. 2015.

interesting detail about these individuals is that they are beginning to eliminate the leaders and
members of the Mexican Mafia. In county jails and state prisons, they have created an alliance
with the Surenos. Mexican Nationals, or paisas, have begun to take a leadership role within the
Sureno organization, allowing them to serve as the voice of the cartel. Their direct connection
with the Sinaloa Cartel and their savage violence has made them a force to be rigged with.
The solution to combat these transnational organizations have to be traced back to New
York City. In New York City, the Five Families from the Sicilian Mafia governed the city in the
same manner that the Mexican Mafia (La Familia) is controlling Long Beach. The ultimate
solution to this problem is to deal with these transnational organizations as organizations. They
are not just some scumbags running around the city creating terror because they feel like it.
Everything is carefully planned and everything has a purpose.
The path of enforcement in New York City was laid out by federal indictments for the
East Coast traditional Italian organizational crime families. The first tool used to identify and
prosecute Italian organized crime groups was the RICO statute created by Robert Blakey.20 The
RICO statute or act stands for Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. This is a
federal law made to combat organized crime groups within the United States.22 The gist of this
act is that it allows the government to convict a defendant when there is substantial proof of
engagement in “two or more instances of racketeering and that the defendant directly invested in,
maintained an interest in, or participated in a criminal enterprise affecting interstate or foreign
commerce.”22 The RICO act serves as the foundation for the tools used by the Long Beach Police
Department to combat the organized crime groups such as the Surenos.
22
"Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) | Nolo.com." Nolo.com. Accessed December 13, 2015.

The Long Beach Police Department has already begun to combat this organization by
having the first gang injunction to have the Sureno organization as a named defendant. Most
gang injunctions name individual local gangs and target them separately. However, the Long
Beach Police Department is following the federal prosecutor’s footsteps by targeting the
organization not the individual or individual sub-groups.20 This tactic has been recognized
nationally as a significant gang suppression tool and the Long Beach Police Department gang
injunction was the first to develop such a plan. By targeting the organization as a whole, the
narcotics sales made by the Mafia are being combated by neutralizing the gang’s control of inner
city neighborhoods. Without control of a neighborhood, the organization cannot function.
Cocaine has been the primary narcotic trafficked amongst cartels and gangs, but recently,
heroin has made a comeback. There has been a significant increase in heroin usage within the
city of Long Beach. Heroin has become more accessible to wide range of individuals on the
streets. Medical marijuana dispensaries have ruined the appeal marijuana used to have. As a
matter of fact, dispensaries have joined the illegal market by combining other chemicals into the
joint that is being purchased.21 With heroin on the rise, methadone clinics around Long Beach
have been set up to aid heroin addicts. These clinics provide injections of methadone to addicts
in order to detox them and/or to help them in the rehabilitation process.20 Cocaine is no longer
the primary sought out drug, heroin has become the next popular and dangerous drug.
The geographical trail of cocaine has been traced from Peru to Long Beach. The Sendero
Luminosos, the Colombian Cartel, and the Sinaloan Cartel all influence the violent occurrences
in Long Beach. There is no one solution on how to end these organizations because the Sinaloa
Cartel and the Mexican Mafia have merged into one. It will not be until one eliminates the other
that things will change and that will be for the worst. Professor Dina Perrone claims that the only

way to combat these organizations and to eliminate the abuse of narcotics is to legalize drugs.23
A country like the Netherlands has already seen progress in the legalization of a number of drugs
and some narcotic experts see a positive outcome if the same is enforced in the United States. On
the other hand, Deputy District Attorney Karen Brako thinks the legalization of narcotics will be
even worse.18 The thought that taxing a drug will help the economy is unreasonable. The only
difference would be that American citizens who do follow the law will be permitted to purchase
drugs legally. This will not stop criminals from buying drugs off the street. The drug dealer on
the street will not lose business because his price might be lower than what is being sold legally
at a dispensary.
A Detective from the Long Beach Police Department looks at the solution for narcotics
differently. He claims that the legalization of narcotics will not only solve the problem of black
market sales, but it will stop the illegal crime organizations completely.20 An organization can
only thrive with the three characteristics mention before, fear, guns, and drugs. An organization
lives off the revenue of drugs, but if the drugs are made legal, then the majority of the consumers
will most likely by them from dispensaries or independent drug dealers. This will not only stop
an organization like the Mexican Mafia from functioning, but it will also eliminate the business
the cartels have.
The violence executed by crime organizations has an international lineage that has not
been tracked to this depth previously. The new findings of the paisas and their infiltration on the
Mexican Mafia has changed the game completely for law enforcement. They are no longer
dealing with national criminals. This has become a transnational problem for everyone because
23
Dina Perrone. Interview by author. September 2015.

once the connection with Los Angeles has been made, there is a route to every city all around the
world.

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Woody, Christopher. "'El Chapo' Guzmán's Key Role in the Global Cocaine Trade Is Becoming
Clearer." Business Insider. August 16, 2015. Accessed November 23, 2015.
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Geographical Cocaine Trail from Peru to Long Beach

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Geographical Cocaine Trail from Peru to Long Beach