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

U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Andrew Luger announced the charges against 11 members of the Lows street gang at a news conference with federal, state and local officials at the federal courthouse in downtown Minneapolis.

The Lows operate in north Minneapolis and are the chief rivals of the Highs, who claim land across Broadway Avenue.

The defendants charged in the indictment were part of what Luger called an “unthinkable and reprehensible pattern of violence” between 2021 and 2024 and are alleged to have been involved in seven shootings involving 10 victims and five murders. All of them were detained as of 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 poses a threat to the sanctity of human life and we will continue to take all steps necessary under the law to eliminate this threat.”

Wednesday’s charges are a continuation of Luger’s office’s strategy. Dismantle street gangs by prosecuting them as organized crime groups.

Last May Indictment against 45 defendants This was the first time Luger used the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (more commonly known as RICO) against Minneapolis street gangs. With additional charges In the last year and a half, 94 gang-related defendants have been charged.

“By charging these 11 Lows members under RICO, we are once again addressing the gang as a whole,” Luger said. “As alleged in the indictment, the scoundrels are a long-standing criminal organization that engages in assault, murder, gun trafficking, fentanyl sales, and other crimes to further their deadly behavior.”

So far, 41 gang members and associates have either pleaded guilty or been arrested convicted at trial As part of that effort, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.