Impireros: Sureño Gangs and the Inland Empire

by Andy Eways and Todd De Palma Thousands of years ago, the inhabitants of the land from the San Bernardino Mountain Range to the Mojave Desert could not have known that their agriculturally rich land would one day be the home to nearly five million people, and among the fifteen most populous metropolitan areas in the entire United States. Neither could they have anticipated that the Sureño body; the Hispanic gangs of Southern California; would one day have a notable impact on many of the communities making up the Inland Empire. This book explores the history and traditions of Sureño gangs that call the Inland Empire their home. From Upland to Perris, Chino to Redlands, this book explains the formation of various Inland Empire Sureño gangs. It also recounts significant crimes and investigations involving these gangs through the perspectives of victims, offenders, and investigators. Through combined law enforcement and correctional service spanning over fifty years shared by the authors, learn how the Impireros – the Sureño Gangs of the Inland Empire – moved beyond their often-humble beginnings to be the threats and organized crime entities many have become today. Learn how San Bernardino and Riverside Counties have been affected by the migration of gangs, and how the men and women of law enforcement, corrections, parole, probation, and prosecution continue their constant battle to keep the citizens of their communities safe.