Seven LV Mongols arrested in seven-state bust

Seven Las Vegas members of the Mongols motorcycle gang were arrested today as part of a seven-state sweep that shattered its two local chapters, police said.

Lt. Dave Logue with the Metropolitan Police Department's Intelligence Section said Las Vegas SWAT members were assisted in the morning raids across the valley by North Las Vegas and Henderson SWAT as well as the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Of the seven Las Vegas men arrested in Operation Black Rain under a federal racketeering indictment, one was arrested in California. Six of the gang members face federal conspiracy charges of distributing cocaine and methamphetamine. One faces a state charge of unlawful transfer of a firearm.

"In our view, this has effectively dismantled both chapters of the Mongols operating in the Las Vegas Valley," Logue said, referring to the Henderson and Las Vegas chapters.

He said both chapters together only had 10 or 11 members.

U.S. Attorney Thomas O'Brien, who heads the federal agency's Central District in California, said he believed it to be the highest number of arrests of a motorcycle gang in the nation's history.

His staff planned to ask a judge for an injunction to seize the Mongols' trademarked name, a first for federal authorities. If the order is approved, no member would be able to wear a jacket or ride a bike bearing the gang's name.

"It would allow law enforcement to seize the leather jackets right off their back," O'Brien said.

Four ATF officers infiltrated Mongols gangs during the 3 and a half-year investigation and were accepted as full members, a difficult process that requires winning the trust of the gang's top leaders over a period of months, an ATF spokesman said. The agency didn't disclose which chapters were infiltrated.

The sweep netted arrests in Northern Nevada as well. Authorities said 23 people were arrested in the Reno area as part of its undercover investigation, and 14 others had been charged with crimes.

Of those, six suspects, most affiliated with the Mongols, were arrested early today, said Tom Cannon, resident agent in charge of the Reno ATF office.

Authorities neither specified charges nor identified those arrested in the Reno area, but said more than 6 pounds of methamphetamine and 75 weapons were seized.

Logue said in addition to Nevada, raids were conducted in California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Florida and Ohio. Overall, 110 arrest warrants and about 150 search warrants were served throughout these states.

Some of the Mongols members arrested in other states were wanted for murder and attempted murder, Logue said.

Thomas Chittum, resident agent in charge of the Southern Nevada ATF, said today's nationwide sweeps were successful.

"We targeted the leadership and structure of the organization," Chittum said. "This is not necessarily the end of all those charged, it's just the beginning."

The Mongols, a gang that originated in Montebello, Calif., in the 1970s, are primarily Latino and formed because the Hells Angels refused to allow Hispanic members. The two gangs are bitter rivals.

Logue said the Mongols were not to be taken lightly.

"It seemed they were stepping up their violent acts between here and the Southwestern United States," he said.

During a press conference, Las Vegas police displayed numerous shotguns, high-caliber rifles and semi-automatic handguns confiscated in the local raids. Nine motorcycles from local Mongols were also impounded.

The local members arrested were: Harold Reynolds, 40, also known as "Face"; David "Lazy Dave" Padilla, 38, Ismael "Milo" Padilla, 33, William "Moreno" Ramirez, 38, Jason "Big Jay" Hull, 33, John "Sinister" Babcock, 43, and Gary "T.C." Lawson, 49.

All of the men were listed by police as Las Vegas residents. Babcock was the only Mongul arrested locally on a state charge, and Lawson's charges weren't listed by police. He was arrested in California, police said.

Logue said today's arrests were not linked to the deadly 2002 melee at the Laughlin River Run.

A gunbattle at that annual motorcycle event resulted in two Hells Angels and one Mongols member being killed. Several members of both gangs were sent to prison on various charges stemming from the incident.

Contact reporter Antonio Planas at aplanas@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638. The Associated Press contributed to this report.