Federal authorities have arrested a top member of a prison gang called the Mexican Mafia. The gang member is believed to be the mastermind behind the murder of a Texas cop.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations and San Antonio Police arrested Ruben “Menace” Reyes, a top lieutenant within the prison and street gang, for his role in the murder of Balcones Heights Police Officer Julian Pecina as well as in scores of other murders some of which were buried in shallow graves, the San Antonio Express-News reported.
The murder of Officer Pecina took place in May when members of the Mexican Mafia ambushed the cop outside of his tattoo parlor. The late cop had been the target of an ongoing investigation into drug trafficking and gang activity; he was said to have tattoos that only members of the gang were allowed to wear.
Reyes is expected to go before a federal judge to face a series of charges in connection with the Mexican Mafia’s activities in the area. In recent months, authorities throughout the nation have cracked down on the gang’s activity seeking federal charges against the members of the crime syndicate.
The Mexican Mafia started decades ago in the California prison system but has since expanded nationwide and gone through some splits with some groups calling themselves similar but different names.
Follow Ildefonso Ortiz on Twitter @ildefonsoortiz.
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