The Black Dragons (traditional Chinese: 黑龍) is a Chinese-American criminal organization and street

gang A gang is a group or society of associates, friends or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over territory in a community and engages, either individually or collectivel ...

that was formed in 1980 by

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

immigrants in

Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles, California Lincoln Heights is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Los Angeles, California, United States. It was originally called "East Los Angeles" from 1873 to 1917. It is a densely populated, mostly Latino and Asian neighborhood. It includes many histori ...

. It was started by a group of young men who bounded together to protect themselves from other Asian and Latino gangs. The Black Dragons operated in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and the

San Gabriel Valley The San Gabriel Valley ( es, Valle de San Gabriel) is one of the principal valleys of Southern California, lying immediately to the east of the eastern city limits of the city of Los Angeles, and occupying the vast majority of the eastern part ...

for over two decades. At the gang's peak it had over 100 core members. They may sometimes be identified by the colors black and grey worn by the gang's members. The gang preyed on the

Asian American Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous people ...

communities as a source of income and is unique compared to other Asian crime groups as they were involved in both organized and street-level crime. The revenue from organized crime came mainly from extorting brothels, prostitution,

money laundering Money laundering is the process of concealing the origin of money, obtained from illicit activities such as drug trafficking, corruption, embezzlement or gambling, by converting it into a legitimate source. It is a crime in many jurisdictions ...

, the distribution of narcotics, and counterfeiting merchandise. At street-level, the gang was involved in a wide range of crimes that included murder, robbery, home invasion and car theft. The Black Dragon's influence was strong in the

, during the mid-1990s until its downfall in 2002. After two decades, the gang gained the attention of federal authorities because of their involvement in violent criminal activities. The

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

(FBI) opened a case against the Black Dragons in 1999. The FBI then created the Black Dragon Task force and the three-year investigation dubbed "Operation Back Door" led to the convictions of multiple gang members, stemming from murder, attempted murder, armed robbery, extortion, illegal possession of firearms and

Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization. RICO was en ...

(RICO) charges. The gang was taken down in one of the largest gang sweeps of 2002, as federal agents simultaneously raided and arrested 30 of its core members, following up with convictions for over half of them in 2003, including a twenty-four year sentence for each of the top three members of the gang. The gang had been identified as a top threat with a history of violence by various law enforcement agencies, according to FBI Agent Kerry Smith who headed a West Covina FBI unit that targets Asian criminal enterprise and violent crime. "These guys weren't afraid to commit violence," Smith said.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Black Dragons (Gang) Organizations established in 1980 1980 establishments in California Organizations disestablished in 2002 2002 disestablishments in California Chinese-American organized crime groups Gangs in Los Angeles Street gangs Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles Chinese-American culture in Los Angeles Triad groups

See also

References