MILWAUKEE, Wis. (WTAQ) - 17 members of a Hmong gang have been indicted in federal court in Milwaukee for selling drugs and shooting rival gang members. Federal, state, and local authorities had investigated the Menace of Destruction gang since September of 2007. But officers said they had a hard time cultivating sources within the group because it was so close tight-knit. Members were apparently from Minnesota’s Twin Cities and at least 7 cities in Wisconsin.
Authorities said they dealt cocaine, high-grade marijuana, ecstasy, and methamphetamines. They reportedly committed at least 80 shootings over the last 5 years – and the shooters were younger members fulfilling their gang initiations. Officials said they rotated guns among groups in California, Minnesota, and Wisconsin to prevent them from being detected by law enforcement. The 17 defendants range in age from 19 to 34. They were arrested last week in Appleton, Oshkosh, West Allis, and Milwaukee.
