Dozens of suspected White supremacist gang members arrested in Los Angeles area in domestic terrorism investigation

A total of 68 suspected gang members with ties to White supremacy were charged in the Los Angeles area Wednesday in a large-scale takedown, federal prosecutors said.

A total of 68 suspected gang members with ties to White supremacy were charged in the Los Angeles area Wednesday in a large-scale takedown, federal prosecutors said. The Peckerwoods Gang members and associates were charged in a sweeping federal indictment, which included allegations of racketeering, firearms trafficking, drug trafficking and financial fraud, according to officials. The federal charges announced Wednesday did not include allegations of an impending planned attack, but Martin Estrada, the US Attorney for the Central District of California, said: “This group has as its mission to plan attacks against racial, ethnic, religious minorities. … We are not going to wait for the next tragedy to take action.” More than 40 of the suspected members and associates of the Peckerwoods Gang were arrested Wednesday or were already in custody in what was “one of largest takedowns in the history of the Department of Justice against a neo-Nazi, White supremacist, violent extremist organization,” Estrada said. The arrests involved multiple federal and local law enforcement tactical officers, including the Joint Terrorism Task Force and resources brought in from the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team, a source previously told CNN. The Peckerwoods Gang is based in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley and is “essentially a local chapter of the Aryan Brotherhood,” said Akil Davis, the FBI’s assistant director in charge of Los Angeles’ field office. They engage in a wide variety of criminal activity, including drug trafficking, fraud, violence and identity theft, the US attorney said.