Santa Barbara – The fifth suspect in an alleged criminal street gang extortion operation, Edgar Cordova, 29-year old resident of Santa Barbara, has been successfully hunted down and arrested.
As previously reported here, the prior arrests of Benjamin Ybarra, Jesse Martin Enriquez, Franco Eric Aguiniga, and Ruben Jose Regalado Jr. earlier this month in connection with charges of kidnapping, torture, and solicitation of extortion relating to activities of the Mexican Mafia prison gang pointed to Cordova as a co-conspirator. According to Santa Barbara Police Department Public Information Officer Sgt. Riley Harwood, Cordova’s victims “were involved in both criminal and legitimate activities” and his gang’s use of extortion tactics “is colloquially referred to by gang members as ‘collecting taxes’.”
Just last month felony arrest warrant for Cordova was issued in the amount of $1,700,000 following his failure to appear while out on bail on multiple charges filed in 2013. A coordinated effort on the part of multiple law enforcement agencies—including the California Department of Justice Bureau of Investigation San Diego County Field Office and the Policia Estatal Preventiva of Baja California, Mexico, Liaison Unit—were involved in locating Cordova while in hiding in Mexico.
While attempting to re-enter the United States at the San Diego border crossing, Cordova was identified and apprehended pursuant to the outstanding arrest warrant. At that point, he was booked into the San Diego County Jail, but when he was made aware of the likelihood of a successful extradition application on the part of Santa Barbara authorities, he waived his right to those proceedings and now resides in the Santa Barbara County Jail on a no bail hold.
Photo: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail Booking
Read more:
CrimeVoice: “Tax Collector” gangsters arrested
Santa Maria Times: Suspected gang member wanted in extortion case arrested
Noozhawk: Fugitive gang member arrested
