We looked at the 2011 FBI gang report last year and not much has changed as we wait for the 2012 report to come out.
More than 1.4 million Americans are still wearing the colors of more than 33,000 gangs across the country, according to the report.
Based on evidence from federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, the FBI says gangs commit 48% of violent crime, and are only becoming more dangerous. Some even source weapons from the military.
What has changed is the legal position of one of these gangs who is suing the FBI for being on the list at all. Check out the following slides to see which one it is.
The 18th Street Gang is considered the largest street gang in California
One of the most well-known of the "Sureño" gangs in Southern California, the 18th Street Gang is said to be responsible for at least one robbery or assault a day in Los Angeles County. The gang is one of the most rapidly expanding criminal groups in the country, with a reach that extends across 32 states, from Maryland to Hawaii.
Though loosely connected, the gang is thought to be the largest street gang in California, with roughly 15,000 members.
18th Street gangsters have been linked to homicide, extortion, alien smuggling, drug smuggling, and auto theft,. They have also infiltrated the U.S. military.
Florencia 13 members have been caught buying weapons from U.S. military personnel
Another rapidly expanding Sureño gang, Florencia 13, works closely with the Mexican Mafia and is a rival of the 18th Street set. Based out of South Los Angeles, Florencia 13 is part of a terrifying gang war scene that has turned L.A. into one of the most dangerous counties in the country.
It also has members and influence in states like Virginia and Iowa.
The gang has racked up charges ranging from piracy to conspiracy to sell drugs and murder over the last few years. They also have been cited as another gang infiltrating the U.S. military. In 2010, six members were given life sentences out of the 94 that pleaded guilty to their crimes.
Barrio Azteca has ties to several major Mexican drug trafficking organizations
Originally based out of El Paso, Texas, Los Aztecas have become a powerful paramilitary force on both sides of the Mexico border. Now many of the gang's members are recruited from Texas prisons, and some of its work takes place inside prison walls, such as heroin production.
Los Aztecas work with the Juarez cartel and Los Zetas running drugs, smuggling illegal aliens and murdering consulate officials.The gang has a military structure that has helped keep order.
In March 2011, 35 members of the gang were charged with a variety of crimes, including 10 gangsters involved in the murder of the U.S. Consulate employee and several family members.
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