Macias Sentenced to Life Without Parole

Gang leader Raymond Macias was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison without parole. He had been convicted by Santa Barbara juries for kidnapping, extortion, torture, and drug sales, and was described throughout his trials as a high-ranking shot caller for the Sureños gang working directly for the prison-based Mexican Mafia.

Read more about Macais’s case here and here.

“As a result of this investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies and subsequent successful prosecutions,” said District Attorney Joyce Dudley in a prepared statement, “a dangerous gang member will spend the rest of his life in prison, and a strong message is sent to Sureno gangs in California that Santa Barbara County will vigorously prosecute gang-related crimes.”