[7] Mexican American street gangs originated in Los Angeles in the early 1900s as a result of various factors, including economic conditions and racial prejudice.

[2] Although Sureños were established in 1968, the term was not used until the 1970s as a result of the continued conflict between the Mexican Mafia and the Nuestra Familia in California's prison system.

[3] Due to its membership size, the Fresno Bulldogs is the only Hispanic gang in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation that is able to remain independent.

[43] Sureños' strongholds in Upstate California are usually in Santa Rosa and Modesto due to a high Mexican immigrant population in those cities.

[4][6][45] Common Sureño gang markings and/or tattoos include (but are not limited to): SUR, XIII, X3, 13, Sur13, Uno Tres, Trece and three dots arranged like those on a game die.

[citation needed] Sureño groups are involved in many aspects of criminal activity including homicide,[3][46] drug trafficking,[3][47] kidnapping, assaults,[48] carjackings, home invasions, and robbery.

[6] The primary sources of income for Sureño gang members are the retail-level distribution of cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine, both within prison systems and in the community, and the extortion of drug dealers.

Law enforcement attempts to limit the influence of the Mexican Mafia over the various Sureño street gangs have been met with little success.

By the late 1990s, a federal task force was set up in order to investigate the gang's involvement in the illegal drug trade; this resulted in the arrest of several of its members.

The authorities confiscated thousands of dollars in drugs and money, as reported by the Los Angeles Times and local news channels.

For instance, two rival Sureño gangs fighting over territorial grounds of Southwest Community Park in Santa Rosa, California, lead to the shooting death of an 18-year-old man in 2008.

The charges against the gang members were conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana, street terrorism and firearms violations.