Six members of a Mexican Mafia gang in South Texas have been sentenced to prison for forcing other drug dealers to pay taxes on the illegal sales.
Prosecutors in San Antonio say the New Braunfels men extorted money from traffickers from May 2011 to July 2013.
The federal prison sentences handed down Monday range from five years to nearly 20 years.
The men earlier pleaded guilty to counts including conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, interference with commerce by threat or violence, being a felon in possession of a firearm or possession of body armor by a convicted felon.
Another man, in a related case, was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to drug and weapons charges over a 2013 traffic stop.
