US charges 68 in case against California white supremacist gang

The Peckerwoods are accused of trafficking fentanyl and other drugs in the area, as well as committing robberies and financial fraud to fund their activities and help the Aryan Brotherhood, said US Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday.

Members used iconography and tattoos, including that of swastikas, the symbol 88, which is code for “Heil Hitler”, and images of Nazi aircraft, to denote their ideology, the justice department says.

US Attorney Martin Estrada said the group was a “grave menace to our community” and a “destructive force”.

Federal prosecutors say the group primarily trafficked narcotics that include fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine. Members in the Hollywood area are accused of maintaining so-called stash houses where drugs were stored.

Several members are also facing charges of allegedly submitting false applications for the Payment Protection Program, a Covid-19 initiative that offered loans – many of which were forgivable – to keep small businesses afloat.

One applicant received a nearly $21,000 loan after claiming he was an “artist/writer” with a $250,000 yearly income, federal prosecutors say.

The same defendant also submitted unemployment applications in the names of other people aiming to get additional funds, prosecutors allege.

The justice department says the defendants face a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.