MEXICAN MAFIA MEMBER SENTENCED TO 29 YEARS

Man Convicted On Extortion Charges, Distributing Meth

A member of the Mexican Mafia was sentenced to 29 years and four months in
prison yesterday for a conviction on charges of extortion and distributing
methamphetamine.

Frank Macias Madriaga, 45, was found guilty in April of demanding cash
payments from drug suppliers as tribute to the Mexican Mafia, also known as
La Eme, for the phonetic Spanish pronunciation of the letter M.

Madriaga of National City was a significant "made" or inducted member of
the Mexican Mafia, prosecutors said. He sports the black-hand tattoo of La
Eme on his chest.

Federal and state authorities were tipped off to Madriaga's operation in
July 1998 when they arrested Mark Anthony Mendez, one of Madriaga's main
gang or "crew" members.

Mendez began cooperating with investigators and led them to Madriaga and
dozens of other methamphetamine traffickers in San Diego County.

Madriaga also was implicated by Juan Carlos Lopez, a National City
marijuana trafficker who went to police the same month, contending that
Madriaga was demanding thousands of dollars in payment as a "tax" to La Eme.

During the trial, experts testified that La Eme exerts control over the
drug-trafficking world not just by demanding payments and drugs, but by
requiring lower prices for drugs.

Many of the identified members of the gang are incarcerated in the
maximum-security Pelican Bay state prison in Crescent City, where Madriaga
served time.

Six other drug suppliers pleaded guilty and received sentences ranging from
three to 10 years.

Madriaga's sentence was significantly higher partly because of his criminal
record, which includes two convictions for robbery, said Timothy Coughlin,
a prosecutor in the case.