AUSTIN -- On Tuesday, 16 convicted felons stared back from a poster board at the Austin Police Department. Investigators say they were members of a gang called the Texas Mexican Mafia. With one exception, they were all U.S. citizens. All of their crimes were heinous.
“The gang was heavily involved with drug trafficking, robbery, extortion, prostitution, weapons trafficking and murder,” said Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo.
Acevedo said they were caught after a two-year investigation called “Operation Merecido.” It involved the FBI, local police, the Department of Public Safety, and the U.S. Attorney General’s office.
The investigation began after the gang had spread from San Antonio to Austin.
“They spread here under a strong leader,” FBI Special Agent Steve Hause said. He went on to say that leader was a man named Ruben Flores, who lived in Pflugerville.
Like cartels in Mexico, the Texas Mexican Mafia followed a paramilitary structure. Members paid dues and swore a lifelong allegiance.
They dealt directly with the Mexican cartels for drugs, and their reach extended well beyond Austin.
“Seguin, San Marcos, Taylor, Temple, Dallas--various areas where they had assigned lieutenants,” Hause said.
This month, all 16 local members pled guilty to charges in federal court. Their combined sentences added up to more than 300 years in prison.
Investigators say the arrests may not even be over. More members of the Texas Mexican Mafia are still in Texas and committing crimes.
