When an imprisoned gang member used a contraband cellphone to ask Miguel Maciel Jr. if he wanted to make some money, the 18-year-old jumped at the offer.
The syndicate once relied on associates on the streets, but court data showed that smuggled phones have given imprisoned leaders greater control over drug deals.
Reputed Mexican Mafia member slain in Long Beach homeless encampment
Jan. 13, 2021 3:23 PM PT
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Samuel Villalba, a longtime member of the Mexican Mafia who had fallen out of favor with the prison gang, was shot to death over the weekend in Long Beach, according to the police and law enforcement sources.
Officers responded about 8 p.m. Sunday to a homeless encampment near the 91 Freeway, where they found Villalba, 64, shot multiple times in the chest, the Long Beach Police Department said in a statement. At least two men were spotted running from the scene.
The police said the motive for the attack remained undetermined, but detectives were investigating it as gang-related.