17 prison gang members indicted, including leaders of statewide “criminal enterprise”

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KION-TV/KPIX) -- More than a dozen prison gang members have been indicted by a grand jury on multiple charges related to gang activity, including attempted murder. Some of the arrests stem from incidents at Central Coast prisons.

The indictment provided below identifies at least three individuals as leaders of this prison gang. Each is considered a "General" of sorts, one in charge of prisons while another was in charge of activity on California streets.

Four other "leaders" were also indicted.

“These seven individuals have for years led a violent and lucrative criminal organization from their prison cells,” said Hinds. “While the physical movement of this leadership was restricted by prison walls, the indictment alleges that their power and influence were not so constrained.”

Court documents show three incidents of attempted homicide at Salinas Valley State Prison in Soledad. Two taking place within days of each other in December 2015.

Overall, 4 people were the targets of this gang at Salinas Valley State Prison. The investigations were only listed as "attempted homicides," but there were other attempted killings of inmates at Pelican Bay State Prison and Pleasant Valley State Prison.

Investigators say all of this was done under the umbrella of this statewide prison gang.

“By disrupting gang leadership, we take aim at the head of the snake and seek to reduce violence and other criminal activity on our streets and in our jails and prisons, said Hinds.

The bust was part of a five-year, multi-agency investigation and Hinds said the enforcement action is not over yet. Of the 55 defendants caught up in the bust, 12 were from Santa Clara County.