A man believed to be a member of the Mexican Mafia in the San Diego area has passed away while incarcerated, according to official statements.
A spokesperson for the California Department of Correction and Rehabilitation, Terri Hardy, stated that prison guards discovered Buchanan unresponsive in his cell at Kern Valley State Prison. An investigation by the Kern County forensic office will be conducted to determine the circumstances surrounding his death.
A 72-year-old individual, Buchanan, has been incarcerated since 2004 in connection with a kidnapping incident that occurred in response to a prisoner's harassment of a corrupt correctional officer.
Court records and police reports indicate that an individual, while incarcerated, was involved in a range of illicit activities within San Diego County, including the sale of narcotics, illegal gambling operations, extortion schemes, and murder plots, all of which are closely monitored by law enforcement.
A jury statement revealed that Buchanan spent his formative years in the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa neighborhoods, located just north of the U.S.-Mexico border.
A high-ranking official testified that the individual was considered a member of the Mexican Mafia in 1989, despite his claims of no affiliation. According to evidence, he allegedly gained membership by committing a violent act, specifically stabbing a fellow inmate, Manuel Rebeles, in a San Diego County prison in 1987.
A former member of Our Family, a rival gang of the Mexican Mafia, was attacked by Buchanan while exercising in the roof yard. Buchanan allegedly struck the individual three times in the chest, but the victim managed to survive the assault.
Prosecutors alleged that the assault was orchestrated by Ronaldo and Héctor Ayala, two members of the Mexican Mafia in National City. Although Buchanan was not found guilty of the attack, he served a significant portion of the next two decades in prison for unrelated offenses, including theft and escape.
A former official, while incarcerated on charges of narcotics-related crimes, allegedly authorized members of Imperial County gangs to collect extortion payments in several local cities, including El Centro, Brawley, Holtville, Calipatria, and Niland, as outlined in a formal indictment. The indictment further alleges that his associates kidnapped and subjected a narcotics trafficker to physical torture after the individual refused to comply with the extortion demands.
A former individual, now serving a life sentence, allegedly maintained control over gangs in the South Bay area of San Diego, according to information obtained from an FBI investigation involving an informant.
