Sureño groups are involved in many aspects of criminal activity including homicide, drug trafficking, kidnapping, assaults, carjackings, home invasions, and robbery. They are also heavily engaged in human trafficking of adults and children. My family, particularly my grandmother, has been victim to each of the above listed items that this group is known for.
Also known as Southern United Raza, Sur 13 or Sureños X3
Groups of loosely affiliated gangs that pay tribute to the Mexican Mafia (a US-based prison gang) while in U.S. state and federal correctional facilities.
The primary sources of income for Sureño gang members are the retail-level distribution of cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine, both within prison systems and in the community, and the extortion of drug dealers.
Sureños use the number 13—which represents the letter "M", the thirteenth letter of the alphabet—in order to mark their allegiance to the Mexican Mafia.
Barkan, S. E., & Bryjak, G. J. (2010). Fundamentals of Criminal Justice: A Sociological View. (2nd ed.). Sudbury, Mass.: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Common Sureño gang markings and/or tattoos include (but are not limited to): SUR, XIII, X3, 13, Sur13, Uno Tres, Trece and three dots arranged like those on a game die.
Eways, A. (February 13, 2012). "Sureño gang graffiti: Understanding the art of war". corrections.com.
Although there are many tattoos used by Sureños, there is only one tattoo that proves or validates membership. The X3 tag can also be commonly spotted in graffiti.
The word Sureño or Sureña must be earned.
"Sureños" (PDF). Sampson County Sheriff's Office. 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 21, 2018. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
Many Sureño gangs have rivalries with one another, and the only time this rivalry is set aside is when they enter the prison system.
"Sureños" (PDF). Sampson County Sheriff's Office. 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 21, 2018. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
Fighting is common among different Sureño gangs even though they share a common identity.
Sureños have emerged as a national gang in the United States.
Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Gang Intelligence Center. (2011). 2011 national gang threat assessment – emerging trends. Retrieved from website:
History of Modern Mexican Gangs in Los Angeles, CA
Mexican American street gangs originated in Los Angeles in the early 1900s as a result of various factors, including economic conditions and racial prejudice.
In 1957, the Mexican Mafia (or La Eme), California's first prison gang, was established by Luis "Huerro Buff" Flores and other East Los Angeles gang members, at the Deuel Vocational Institution.
The Mexican Mafia was formed, in part, for protection from other groups in the prison population, and recruited its members from Mexican American street gangs.
A rivalry subsequently developed between Mexican American inmates from Southern California and those from Northern California.
The Southern gang members viewed Mexican Americans from rural, agricultural areas in Northern California with contempt and considered them to be unsophisticated and weak
The Northerners considered those from Southern California to be overly Americanized.
Criminal Street Gangs justice.gov (May 12, 2015) Archived June 10, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
A Dispute Over a Pair of Shoes
By 1967, La Eme was attempting to unify all Mexican American gangs in California, and a concerted effort was made to end rivalries between various groups and amalgamate them into the state's largest prison gang.
However, the rivalry between Northerners and Southerners was solidified by an incident in which a Mexican Mafia member in San Quentin State Prison fatally stabbed his cellmate—a Mexican American from Northern California—in a dispute over a pair of shoes.
The Northerners then formed the Nuestra Familia (NF) prison gang for protection from the Mexican Mafia, the Southern gang.
Valdez, A. (April 10, 2000). "Tracking Sureños". Police Law Enforcement Magazine. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
The Split Creates the Sureños ("Southerners")
To distinguish themselves from the agricultural workers from Northern California, Mexican Mafia (La Eme) members began to refer to the gang members who worked for them as Sureños, a Spanish term meaning "Southerners".
Although Sureños were established in 1968, the term was not used until the 1970s as a result of the continued conflict between the Mexican Mafia and the Nuestra Familia in California's prison system.
"Sureños" (PDF). Sampson County Sheriff's Office. 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 21, 2018. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
...and creates the Norteños
Inmates from Northern California who were affiliated with the Nuestra Familia became known as Norteños, or "Northerners".
Criminal Street Gangs justice.gov (May 12, 2015) Archived June 10, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
When a Sureño is asked what being a Sureño means, members answer: "A Sureño is a foot soldier for the Mexican Mafia."
Vinson, J.; Crame, J.; Von Seeburg, K. (2008). "Sureños" (PDF). Rocky Mountain Information Network.
As a result of these prison wars, all Hispanic California street gangs align themselves with the Sureño or Norteño movements with very few exceptions.
Exceptions such as the Fresno Bulldogs, and the Maravilla gangs of East Los Angeles).
Milkman, H. B., & Wanberg, K. W. (2012). Criminal conduct and substance abuse treatment for adolescents: Pathways to self-discovery and change. (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc
Due to its membership size, the Fresno Bulldogs is the only Hispanic gang in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation that is able to remain independent.
Criminal Street Gangs justice.gov (May 12, 2015) Archived June 10, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
The Sureño's main stronghold is in southern California
They have a heavy presence in California, Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, New Mexico and Utah. They have a smaller presence in Illinois, Oklahoma, Georgia, Oregon and Washington, and some have spread as far east as New York.
"Gangs of North Carolina" (PDF). North Carolina Department of Justice (NCDOJ). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 23, 2015. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
Sureños have been documented in the U.S. military, found in both U.S. and overseas bases.
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. "Gangs Increasing in Military, FBI Says". Military.com. Archived from the original on November 13, 2009. Retrieved February 21, 2009.
They also can be found in some parts of Mexico. Sureños also maintain relationships with various drug trafficking organizations based in Mexico.
Womer, S.; Bunker, R. J. (2010). "Strategic threat: narcos and narcotics overview". Small Wars & Insurgencies. 21 (1): 81–92. doi:10.1080/09592310903561486. S2CID 143327189.
They have been confirmed in 35 different states in the U.S.
Barkan, S. E., & Bryjak, G. J. (2010). Fundamentals of Criminal Justice: A Sociological View. (2nd ed.). Sudbury, Mass.: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
They are with the Gulf Cartel.
Gang-Drug Trafficking Organization Connections Affecting Suburban Areas justice.gov (April 2008)
The statewide north–south dividing line between Norteños and Sureños has roughly been accepted as the cities of Bakersfield and Delano.
Rocky Mountain Information Network (February 4, 2010). "Surenos 2008 Special Gang Report". Public Intelligence Regional information sharing systems.
Sureños' strongholds in Upstate California are usually in Santa Rosa and Modesto due to a high Mexican immigrant population in those cities.
Central Sureños and Upstate Sureños
Sureños in Los Angeles refer to their members in Central California as "Central Sureños" and Sureños refer to their members in northern California as "Upstate Sureños".
Most Sureños are of Mexican descent, but some Sureño gangs allow members from various other ethnic backgrounds to join their ranks, making Sureños multiethnic.
Meaning, they can be Asian.
"Sureños" (PDF). Sampson County Sheriff's Office. 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 21, 2018. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
They also favor blue or grey sport clothing, such as Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Rams and sometimes Los Angeles Lakers.
Upstate Sureños, however, wear Dallas Cowboys, San Jose Sharks and Oakland Raiders clothing.
There were a lot of noises, sounds, and what I take to be attempts at "intimidation" as I attempted to gather this post together. It is still happening right now as I type this, they feel frantic, that is a good word to describe the energy right now.
