SOURCE: KTTV

LOCATOR: LOS ANGELES

(AP) -- Dozens of burly, tattoo-covered motorcycle gang members were arrested Tuesday by federal agents in six states on warrants ranging from drug sales to murder after a three-year undercover investigation in which four agents successfully infiltrated the group.

At least 38 members of the Southern California-based Mongol motorcycle gang were arrested under a federal racketeering indictment that included charges of murder, attempted murder, assault, as well as gun and drug violations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives spokesman Mike Hoffman said.

During some arrests, sharpshooters stood guard on surrounding rooftops and motorcycles were lined up and confiscated.

"It's going to be a large hit to their organization, we are arresting many of their top members," Hoffman said.

Among those arrested were the gang's former national president Ruben Cavazos.

Federal and local agents had 110 federal arrest warrants and 160 search warrants that were being served across Southern California and in Nevada, Oregon, Colorado, Washington and Ohio. The sweep, dubbed Operation Black Rain, was to continue throughout the day Tuesday, agents said.

Hoffman said the Mongols had been recruiting members of Los Angeles street gangs to assist in their operations.

Four ATF agents infiltrated the gang and were accepted as full members, a difficult process that requires winning the trust of the gang's top leaders over a period of months, Hoffman said.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
http://www.foxnews.com/urgent_queue/ind ... 2008-10-21

Mongols (motorcycle club)
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Mongols MC vest emblem
Mongols MC vest emblem

The Mongols Motorcycle Club, shortened to "Mongols MC" is a "one-percenter" motorcycle gang headquartered in southern California that was originally formed in Montebello, California in the 1970s.[1]. Law enforcement officials estimate there are approximately 1,000 members.[2] In addition to their presence in southern California, the club claims chapters in Nevada, Oklahoma, Colorado, Arizona, Montana, Oregon, New York, Indiana, Florida, Virginia, Canada, and Mexico. [3]. Norwegian mainstream news also reports that the Mongols have spread to Scandinavia, April 2008. The Mongols Motorcycle Club states on their website that they have a chapter in Italy.

The Mongols motorcycle club is named after the nomadic tribes of northeast Asia, the Mongols that conquered the largest contiguous empire in world history. The Mongols MC main website includes a quote on the front page from Genghis Khan, the founder of the Mongol Empire. However, there is no other relationship between the Mongol ethnic group and the motorcycle club other than the shared name.

Banned from joining the Hell's Angels due to their Hispanic heritage, a half dozen came together to form the gang. Former President Roger Pinny was a Vietnam Vet and wanted to ride and rebel against society together. The gang began to attract many with criminal tendancies and soon the label "Outlaw" stuck to them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongols_(motorcycle_club)