Federal prosecutors on Wednesday announced a new set of racketeering charges against street gang members.

Minnesota U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger revealed charges against 11 affiliates of the Lows street gang during a news conference alongside federal, state and local officials at the federal courthouse in downtown Minneapolis.

The Lows operate out of north Minneapolis and are the main rivals of the Highs, who claim territory on the opposite side of Broadway Avenue.

The defendants charged as part of the indictment were part of what Luger called “a pattern of unthinkable and reprehensible violence” between 2021 and 2024 and were allegedly involved in seven shootings, totaling 10 victims and five murders. All have been detained since Wednesday.

“The murders and shootings alleged in this indictment should shock the conscience of every law-abiding citizen in the city,” Luger said. “Simply put, the existence of the Lows gang constitutes a threat to the sanctity of human life, and we will continue to take all appropriate measures under the law to eliminate this threat.”

Wednesday’s charges are a continuation of a strategy by Luger’s office to crack down on street gangs by going after them as organized crime syndicates.

Last May, an indictment of 45 defendants It marked the first time Luger used the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, more commonly known as RICO, against Minneapolis street gangs. With additional rounds of accusations Over the past year and a half, charges have been filed against 94 defendants with gang affiliations.

“By charging these 11 Lows members under RICO, we once again address the gang as a whole,” Luger said. “As alleged in the indictment, the underworld is a long-standing criminal enterprise engaged in assaults, murders, weapons trafficking, the sale of fentanyl and other crimes in furtherance of its deadly conduct.”

So far, 41 gang members and associates have pleaded guilty or been convicted at trial as part of this effort, according to the Federal Prosecutor’s Office.