CALIFORNIA BRIEFING / LOS ANGELES

A matriarch of a family allegedly involved in the drug dealing and street violence of the notorious Drew Street branch of Glassell Park’s Avenues gang was sentenced Thursday to 100 months in federal prison.

Maria “Chata” Leon, 45, an illegal immigrant and mother of 13, previously pleaded guilty to racketeering and drug conspiracy charges after her arrest last year in a crackdown by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the LAPD.

Dozens of defendants indicted along with Leon have also pleaded guilty, said Christopher Brunwin, the lead federal prosecutor in the case.

Operating from a Drew Street home, Leon, members of her family and associates for years controlled one of the most menacing drug bazaars in the city, despite law enforcement efforts to combat the gang, officials said. The so-called Satellite House, which drew its name from a huge black satellite dish that once stood in the driveway, was declared a public nuisance and demolished earlier this year.

-- Rich Connell