DS
NEWS
11
Over the past decade, the valley has seen an increase in gang activity. As of this year there are:
THE SUNDAY JUNE 7- JUNE 13
630
criminal street gangs and
PLAYBOY BLOODS
18,184
The Playboy Bloods are one of the older Blood subsets in the valley. Their insignia is an adapted version of a Playboy bunny with one ear up and the other folded down. In 2008, 10 alleged members were indicted on drug and violence charges stemming from accusations they trafficked crack cocaine. Prosecutors said members operated in the Sherman Gardens Annex housing complex, also known as the “Jets complex,” at H and Doolittle streets.
PINOY BOYZ
gang members.
Of those members: more than
while
15,000
are affiliate members
2,888
are known members
SOURCE: METRO POLICE
LIL LOCOS
WEST SIDE PIRU BLOODS
The West Side Piru Bloods originated in Compton, Calif., but trickled into Southern Nevada. The gang’s reach is far; there are dozens of Piru subsets across the West Coast.
The Lil Locos are a fickle group with few defining characteristics and loose ties to both the Mexican Mafia and Nevada 13.
The Sureños, Spanish for “southerners,” are a Southern California street gang with many loosely affiliated subgroups in Las Vegas. Members pay tribute to the Mexican Mafia prison gang and use the number 13 to represent the letter “M,” the 13th letter of the alphabet, to pay allegiance to their mentors. Sureños typically wear blue, including clothing featuring the logo of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
SAN CHUCOS
The San Chucos are one of the most prominent Sureños subgroups in Nevada. The gang is large and unpredictable. Members identify themselves with tattoos that read “SC” or “Chuco,” but it isn’t always clear whether their loyalties lie with the Mexican Mafia or Nevada 13.
KEY Rivals
One of the most wide-reaching Asian gangs in Las Vegas is the Pinoy Boyz, although the gang’s presence is relatively sparse and unorganized. Pinoy is an informal term for Filipino, formed by taking the last four letters of “Filipino” and adding the suffix “y,” common in the Tagalog language. Police typically identify Pinoy Boyz and other Asian gang members through foreign language tattoos.
NORTEÑOS
NUESTRA FAMILIA PRISON GANG
MEXICAN MAFIA PRISON GANG
The Norteños, Spanish for “northerners,” are a Northern California street gang and the Sureños’ rivals. Members ally with the Nuestra Familia prison gang, the rival of the Mexican Mafia. There are far fewer Norteños in Las Vegas than Sureños. Norteños wear the number 14 to represent the letter “N,” the 14th letter of the alphabet, and favor red clothing from sports teams such as the San Francisco 49ers and UNLV. Some gang members say UNLV’s acronym stands for “Us Norteños Love Violence.”
LATINO GANGS SUREÑOS NEVADA 13 PRISON GANG
28TH STREETS
The 28th Streets gang originated downtown, though its members now are spread throughout Las Vegas. The gang originally was a faction of the Sureños, but many of its younger members have ditched ties to the Mexican Mafia. They now pledge loyalty to the recently formed prison gang Nevada 13.
BARRIO NAKED CITY
A tattoo of the Stratosphere or pair of dice usually tips police off to members of the Sureñosderived Barrio Naked City gang. The symbols are “a dead giveaway,” said Miguel Chavez, a Las Vegas detention officer and gang specialist. The gang’s roots lie in Meadows Village, also known as Naked City, in the shadow of the Stratosphere. “Their tattoos are very Vegasoriented — the outline of the Strip, definitely the Stratosphere,” Chavez said. “They’re very proud of the Stratosphere. It’s their own landmark visible to everyone.”
BROWN PRIDE LOCOTES
METRO’S GANG UNIT HAS:
1 6 53
LIEUTENTANT
SERGEANTS
DETECTIVES
Associated with/descended from
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