The Mexican Mafia (Spanish: Mafia Mexicana), also known as La eMe (Spanish for "the M"), is a Mexican American criminal organization in the United States. Despite its name, the Mexican Mafia did not originate in Mexico, and is entirely a U.S. criminal prison organization. Law enforcement officials report that the Mexican Mafia is the deadliest and most powerful gang within the California prison system. Government officials state that there are currently 400–500 official members of the Mexican Mafia[citation needed] with thousands of hitmen and associates within prison and an estimate of more than 50,000 foot soldiers who also carry out its illegal activities on the streets in the hopes of becoming full members. The Mexican Mafia appears to have immense reach and influence into every Hispanic street gang in Southern California, including the notoriously brutal MS-13 and 18th Street Gang[citation needed] who are under the Mexican Mafia's control. The U.S. Government considers the Mexican Mafia to be "among the most powerful, dangerous and feared criminal organizations in the world", and even considers La Eme to be more dangerous and at least as powerful as any Mexican drug cartel.
