11 ‘SAP Norteños’ South Bay street gang members charged for racketeering

Hamza Fahmy
·4 min read

(KRON) – Nearly a dozen members of the Salinas Acosta Plaza Norteños (SAP Norteños) street gang have been charged with a single count of racketeering, U.S. District Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey said. The indictment was filed on April 18 and unsealed on Thursday.

The 12-page indictment alleges eight murders during the last five years, multiple additional shootings, drug and gun distribution, and other related crimes on behalf of the street gang.

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NORTEÑOS

According to the indictment, the SAP Norteños are a street gang that originated in a Salinas apartment complex by the same name. The group is now recognized as a gang within the larger collection of Norteño criminal street gangs.

The 11 defendants are identified as follows:

  • Gil Vasquez, aka “Rhino,” 35

  • Rigoberto Ramirez Jr., aka “Scooby,” 36

  • Sergio Hernandez Jr., aka “Mono,” 35

  • Juan Alvarez, aka “Yogi,” 38

  • Bertin Medrano, aka “Dre,” 30

  • Jose Mexicano, aka “Armani,” 25

  • Salvador Mexicano, aka “Jumpshot,” 20

  • Raul Coronel Suarez, aka “Ray,” 20

  • Gustavo Garcia, aka “Tatis,” 25

  • Lorenzo Garcia Jr., aka “Chito,” 30

  • Jose Saldana aka “Chepe,” 19

According to the complaint, members of the street gang allegedly meet and work together to carry out crimes for the benefit of the street gang, its members, the larger Norteño organization, and the Nuestra Familia prison gang.

Gang members are expected to engage in shootings, robberies, drug sales, and other criminal conduct to gain entry into the gang, and improve a member’s status.

Attempting to leave is not permitted once in the gang. According to the complaint, the punishment for attempting to leave is death.

CRIMES

According to the complaint, it was agreed that each SAP member allegedly agreed to commit at least two acts of racketeering activity in order to be a part of the gang.

The indictment lists more than three dozen criminal acts SAP members are alleged to have committed. The list of crimes includes eight murders, seven of which occurred between December 2019 and December 2023.

Victims mostly include people whom SAP members believed were associated with rival gangs, homeless men, and a man who dropped out of the SAP Norteños.

  • Robbery at gunpoint (6)

  • Murdered a rival gang member (3)

  • Attempted to murder rival gang member (6)

  • Murdered a victim during an altercation or robbery (3)

  • Murdered a homeless man (2)

  • Attempted to murder a homeless man (2)

  • Possessed (up to 130g of) marijuana with intent to distribute (2)

  • Posessed 85 fentanyl-laced oxycontin pills with intent to distribute

  • Possessed (up to 400) “M30” pills with intent to distribute (5)

  • Processed 5-15mg cocaine with intent to distribute (4)

  • Possessed 5-10mg of meth with intent to distribute (2)

  • Trafficking firearms

On January 18, law enforcement recovered a total of 97 handguns and shotguns, the complaint said.

On one occasion, SAP members murdered a man perceived to be a rival gang member. During the altercation, a woman was also paralyzed after one of the bullets traveled through the wall of her apartment and struck her spine, the complaint said.

On another occasion, SAP members firebombed an apartment in Salinas with Molotov cocktails and then wrote “SAP,” “rata” (rat), and “snitch fat f***” in graffiti inside the apartment, the complaint said.

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MOVING FORWARD

In sum, each defendant is charged with one count of racketeering conspiracy. The maximum statutory penalty for a racketeering conspiracy violation is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Racketeering conspiracy aside, the indictment also alleges that special sentencing factors apply to four defendants:

  • Gustavo Garcia and Lorenzo Garcia for their roles in the July 19, 2014, murder of a person.

  • Raul Coronel Suarez and Jose Saldana for their roles in the December 2, 2023, murder of a person.

The maximum statutory penalty for these violations is life in prison.

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All of the defendants except Lorenzo Garcia and Salvador Mexicano were arrested Thursday morning in coordinated law enforcement operations. Lorenzo Garcia and Salvador Mexicano were already in custody.

The allegations in the indictment, if proven, describe a group that has a wanton disregard for life and an extreme penchant for violence. The dozens of crimes outlined in the complaint describe a vicious gang that, for example, uses beatings as hazing for membership and death as a penalty for trying to leave the group. I want to thank Homeland Security Investigations and the Salinas Police Department, including Acting Chief John Murray, for their excellent work. We will continue to round up and prosecute all such offenders to the fullest extent of the law

U.S. District Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey

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