35 Suspected Bloods Gang Members Indicted in Maryland

The federal indictment of 35 alleged members of a Maryland offshoot of the California Bloods gang will have a big impact on the streets of Maryland communities, police chief from across the state said.

The indictment announced Thursday alleges that since 2005 the South Side Brims gang has operated in counties from western Maryland to the lower Eastern Shore, and members were involved in drug trafficking, home-invasion robberies, witness intimidation, a jail break, and several shootings, including one killing.

An affidavit supporting search warrants executed in March alleges that the gang's leader was recruited by a Bloods gang member from Compton, Calif., who was incarcerated in Maryland.

Investigators turned up gang rosters and handbooks; intercepted letters discussing gang business; and found websites containing gang messages, photos and videos, prosecutors said.