Logan Heights Gang

Logan Heights, Varrio Logan Heights, Calle 30
Founded 1960
Founding location Logan Heights, San Diego, California
Years active 1960's - present
Territory California, Colorado, Minnesota, Nevada, and Washington.
Ethnicity Primarily, Chicanos Mexican-Americans
Criminal activities Drug trafficking, murder, kidnapping, human smuggling.
Allies Tijuana Cartel, Mexican Mafia, Sureños.

The Logan Heights gang is a Sureño street gang based in Southeast San Diego.[1]

History

The Logan Heights gang was established in Southeast San Diego during the 1960s, when several individual Mexican-American street gangs from the neighborhoods of Barrio Logan, Logan Heights, and Memorial unified. Currently the gang is composed of four main subsets (Red Steps, 30th Street, 33rd Street, Logan Heights 13) that operate within these neighborhoods. There is also a small subset called Logan Heights Clicka that operates within the Colina del Sol neighborhood of the City Heights district in San Diego.

Although they are based in San Diego, the influence of the gang has spread to other cities in the United States (Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Denver, Minneapolis, and Lakewood, Washington[2]) and to Tijuana, Mexico. Membership is not restricted to Mexican-Americans, and the gang has included Mexican nationals, members from other Hispanic cultures and Native Americans.

The Logan Heights gang has been an ally to the Tijuana Cartel (Arellano-Félix Organization) over the Tijuana smuggling route to the border city of San Diego, California. The alliance between Tijuana cartel and the gang began On November 8, 1992 when Héctor Palma Salazar struck out against the Tijuana Cartel at a disco in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, where eight Tijuana Cartel members were killed in the shootout, the Arellano-Félix brothers having successfully escaped from the location with the assistance of Logan Heights gangster David "D" Barron.[3]

In retaliation, the Logan Heights and the Tijuana Cartel attempted to set up Mexican drug lord Joaquín Guzmán Loera at Guadalajara airport on May 24, 1993. In the shootout that followed, six civilians were killed by the hired gunmen from the gang.[3] The deaths included that of Roman Catholic Cardinal Juan Jesús Posadas Ocampo. The church hierarchy originally believed Posadas was targeted as revenge for his strong stance against the drug trade. However, Mexican officials believe Posadas just happened to be caught in cross fire.[4][5][6] The Cardinal arrived at the airport in a white Mercury Grand Marquis town car, known to be popular amongst drug barons, making it a target. Intelligence received by Logan Heights gang leader David "D" Barron was that Guzmán would be arriving in a white Mercury Grand Marquis town car.[4][5][6] This explanation, however, is often countered due to Ocampo having been wearing a long black cassock and large pectoral cross, as well as him sharing no similarity in appearance with Guzmán and having been gunned down from only two feet away.[3]

The Logan Heights gang also has close ties to the Tijuana Cartel and Mexican Mafia. Enemies of the gang include several San Diego County gangs (most notably Barrio Sherman, Varrio Shelltown, and Old Town National City), and gangs from North Hollywood, Los Angeles.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Eways, Andrew; Morales, Gabriel. "Sureños and Cartels - The Story of Logan Heights". Sueno Gangs in the United States. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Criminal Gang Tagging More Nuisance Than Precursor to Violence". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 Crosthwaite, Luis Humberto (2002). Puro Border: Dispatches, Snapshots & Graffiti from La Frontera. Cinco Puntos Press. p. 115. ISBN 0-938317-59-8.
  4. 1 2 Gray, Mike (2000). Drug Crazy: How We Got Into This Mess and How We Can Get Out. Routledge. p. 136. ISBN 0-415-92647-5.
  5. 1 2 DePalma, Anthony (2001). Here: A Biography of the New American Continent. PublicAffairs. p. 23. ISBN 1-891620-83-5.
  6. 1 2 Warnock, John W. (1995). The Other Mexico: The North American Triangle Completed. Black Rose Books Ltd. p. 230. ISBN 1-55164-028-7.
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