Asian Boyz
| Founded |
1985 |
| In |
Long Beach, CA / Van Nuys, CA, United States |
| Years active |
1985-present |
| Territory |
Active in 14 U.S. states (2009)[1] |
| Ethnicity |
primarily Vietnamese and Cambodian[1] |
| Membership |
1,300 to 2,000 (2009) [1] |
| Criminal activities |
Drug trafficking, robbery, assault, burglary, theft and homicide[1] |
| Allies |
Crips,[2] |
The Asian Boyz, or ABZ, are an Asian American street gang. Some sets are formed with Crips, earning the name ABZ Crips. The gang was formed in 1985 by Cambodian youths. They represent by displaying the color blue, similar to the Crips. The Asian Boyz gang consist mainly of Vietnamese or Cambodian males.[1]
In August 1997, the leader of the Asian Boyz Van Nuys set, Sothi Menh, was arrested in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and brought back to the United States after fleeing the country in January of that year. He was wanted for committing five gang-related murders in the San Fernando Valley in 1995.[3] On September 20, 1998, seven Asian Boyz were charged with seven murders, 18 attempted murders and five instances of conspiracy to commit murder in Van Nuys, California, in 1995.[4] Three members of the gang were charged with beating a 15-year-old boy to death in Utica, New York, in January 2007.[5]
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