SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — More than two dozen members and associates of the Mexican Mafia were arrested Thursday during an early morning crackdown across Southern California, federal authorities said. The FBI and other federal and local agencies executed search and arrest warrants at about 30 locations mostly in Orange County, south of Los Angeles, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. A total of 43 people, including those already in custody, have been indicted on charges that include murder, kidnapping, extortion, running an illegal gambling operation and drug trafficking, prosecutors said. Officers seized 120 pounds (54 kilos) of methamphetamine, more than eight pounds (four kilos) of fentanyl, along with 25 firearms and more than $30,000 in cash, officials said. “The stuff that we’re taking off the streets is very, very dangerous. These guys have no regard for human life. They’re about making money,” First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli said during a news conference. The Mexican Mafia, started in the 1950s at a juvenile jail, has grown into an international criminal organization notorious for smuggling, drug sales, and extortion from California’s penal system. The indictment reveals that a leader, incarcerated, used contraband cellphones to manage the gang's criminal activities from his cell. The gang sold illegal drugs, including fentanyl and meth, and operated gambling businesses while wielding violence for protection. Suspicions also arose regarding a murder at a gangster-controlled motel in Anaheim. The defendants are set to appear in federal court on Thursday.