Known Aliases: Norte, Northerners, Norteros, X4 (coded representation of 14), XIV, Catorce, Nord, Nuestra Raza, Red Rags
Origin: Northern California — organizational identity consolidated in the late 1960s within the California Department of Corrections (CDC) system. The Norteño designation emerged as a collective identity for incarcerated Latino inmates originating from Northern California (generally north of Bakersfield/Delano) to distinguish from and oppose Southern California-origin Sureños. The military-wing prison gang Nuestra Familia (NF) was formally established in Soledad State Prison in 1968.
Active Regions: Primary AOR: Northern California — Sacramento, San Jose, Salinas, Stockton, Modesto, Fresno, Oakland, San Francisco, Hayward, Vallejo, Gilroy, Watsonville. Secondary AOR: Pacific Northwest (Oregon, Washington), Idaho, Colorado, Nevada, Utah. Documented presence in multiple states with Northern California diaspora communities. Active within CDC/CDCR, Federal BOP, and county jail systems throughout California. Estimated street-level membership: 15,000–25,000 (Norteño-identified); Nuestra Familia prison cadre: approximately 250–500 validated members.
Known Alliances: Nuestra Familia, Bloods (in some regions)
Known Rivalries: Sureños (all sets/cliques) — primary and defining adversarial relationship, originating from the Northern/Southern California prison schism. Mexican Mafia (La Eme) — parent-organization rivalry (NF vs. La Eme). Fresno Bulldogs — independent Northern California gang that refuses Norteño/NF affiliation. Various Asian gangs — localized territorial disputes. Rival Norteño factions (internal) — periodic internal power struggles within NF command structure.
Primary Identifiers: Colors: Red (primary), white (secondary). Symbols: Number 14, XIV, X4 (10+4=14, referencing 'N' as the 14th letter of the alphabet), Huelga bird (United Farm Workers eagle — appropriated), four dots, single Norte star. Numeric codes: 14, 1-4, XIV, X4, 14/88 (NOT white supremacist — purely numeric identifier), 5-14-18 (E-N-R = Español Norteño Raza). Tattoos: '14' or 'XIV' on neck/hands/chest, Huelga bird on back, 'Norte' in large script across stomach, 'NF' (Nuestra Familia affiliation), four dots on hand (between thumb and index finger), sombrero imagery. Apparel: San Francisco 49ers (red, gold), Nebraska Cornhuskers (N), Stanford Cardinal, Houston Rockets (red), Manchester United (red). Hand signs: 'N' formation using fingers, '14' displayed with one finger up and four fingers on opposite hand. Graffiti: 'XIV,' 'X4,' '14,' Huelga bird, 'Norte,' 'NF,' 'SUR-K' (Sureño Killer), 'Scrap Killa,' red-colored markings.
Executive Summary:
The Norteños constitute a broad coalition of Latino street gang subsets operating under the collective Northern California identity and maintaining organizational allegiance to the Nuestra Familia (NF) prison gang. The Norteño identity crystallized in the late 1960s within the California Department of Corrections as Northern California-origin Latino inmates organized against Sureño (Southern California) factions aligned with the Mexican Mafia (La Eme). This foundational schism — rooted in regional identity, class distinctions, and prison territorial control — remains the defining axis of Latino gang conflict throughout California and has extended nationally. The Nuestra Familia serves as the senior command authority, issuing directives ('kites') to street-level Norteño sets regarding taxation of drug proceeds, authorized targets, and organizational discipline.
Primary criminal enterprises encompass narcotics trafficking (methamphetamine being the dominant product, supplemented by heroin, cocaine, and cannabis), weapons trafficking, extortion (taxation of street-level dealers), assault, robbery, witness intimidation, and murder. The NF/Norteño operational model features a regiment-based hierarchy with Generals, Captains, Lieutenants, and Soldiers executing a structured chain-of-command that extends from CDCR Security Housing Units to street-level cliques. Major federal prosecutions — including Operation Black Widow (2001, 22 NF members indicted), United States v. Cervantes (2008, NF leadership dismantled), and subsequent cases — have systematically targeted NF command cadres, resulting in multiple life sentences for validated NF members. Despite sustained CDCR/FBI interdiction campaigns, the ideological and territorial imperative of the Northern/Southern divide ensures continued Norteño recruitment and operational persistence.