Nuestra Familia
Nuestra Familia symbol | |
| Founded | 1965 |
|---|---|
| Founding location | Correctional Training Facility, Soledad, California |
| Years active | 1965–present |
| Territory | United States, Mexico, Canada |
| Ethnicity | Mexican American, Mexican |
| Membership (est.) | 250 members |
| Activities | Drug trafficking, extortion, robbery, homicide |
| Allies | Northern Structure Mexican cartels Norteños, Black Guerrilla Family, Bloods, Crips, Latin Kings |
| Rivals | Aryan Brotherhood Fresno Bulldogs Mexican Mafia Mexikanemi Sureños Texas Syndicate |
Nuestra Familia (Spanish for "our family") is a criminal organization of Mexican American (Chicano) prison gangs with origins in Northern California. While members of the Norteños gang are considered to be foot soldiers of Nuestra Familia, being a member of Nuestra Familia itself does not signify association as a Norteño. Some law enforcement agents speculate that the Nuestra Familia gang, which operates in and out of prisons, influences much of the criminal activity of thousands of Norteño gang members in California. The gang's main sources of income are distributing cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine within prison systems as well as in the community and extorting drug distributors on the streets.