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STREET LIFE

Incredible pics show the brutal reality of life in notorious Los Angeles street gangs the Varrio Longos in the 1990s

US photographer Axel Koester captured the images of the Hispanic-American groups the East and West Side Longos  around 27 years ago

INCREDIBLE pictures give an insight into the lives of members of one of the most notorious American gangs in the 1990s.

The black-and-white photos were taken in Los Angeles by US photographer Axel Koester.

Members of the East Side Longos clique The Malditos pose with a gun in a local park
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Members of the East Side Longos clique The Malditos pose with a gun in a local parkCredit: Getty Images
Gang members pose in front of a shop shutter covered in graffiti bearing the name of the East Side Longos
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Gang members pose in front of a shop shutter covered in graffiti bearing the name of the East Side LongosCredit: Getty Images
Members of the West Side Longos, the smallest of three major Latino gangs in LA, hang out on the city's west side
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Members of the West Side Longos, the smallest of three major Latino gangs in LA, hang out on the city's west sideCredit: Getty Images
ESL gang members 'jump in' a new recruit, forcing him to fight a veteran member to prove his worth
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ESL gang members 'jump in' a new recruit, forcing him to fight a veteran member to prove his worthCredit: Getty Images
The new recruit can be seen swinging his fists and trying to protect his head as the older man lays into him
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The new recruit can be seen swinging his fists and trying to protect his head as the older man lays into himCredit: Getty Images
The Longos are said to be the most hated gang in the whole of Los Angeles
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The Longos are said to be the most hated gang in the whole of Los AngelesCredit: Getty Images

The images show members of the East and West Side Longos – Hispanic-American street gangs with ties to Mexican drug cartels.

Along with the North Side Longos, they form Varrio Longo 13 – the largest gang in an umbrella group called Sureños, or Southerners, which pay tribute to the Mexican Mafia, according to United Gangs.

Formed in the city’s Long Beach area 1960s, the gang was once a single entity, but split into smaller loosely-affiliated units after internal fighting.

Photos show some of the gang members throwing up gang signs with their hands, signifying which faction or area they belong to.

Others show a group of young men holding up a sports shirt with Malditos – the name of one of several cliques within the Longos – printed on the back.

Other shocking images show the “jumping in” of a new recruit – where they have to prove their courage in a timed fight against a veteran gang member.

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The Varrio Longos have been called the most hated of all the street gangs in Los Angeles.

They are said to have killed members of every major criminal group in the city – including the infamous African-American gangs the Bloods and the Crips.

They are also said to have spurned the creation of rival Asian, Samoan and Cambodian street gangs – such as the Tiny Rascals and the Asian Boyz – after their harsh treatment of non-Hispanics.

Members of the East Side Longos, whose main rivals are the city's African-American and Asian gangs
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Members of the East Side Longos, whose main rivals are the city's African-American and Asian gangsCredit: Getty Images
Members of the East Side Longos, affiliated with the Mexican Mafia, pose together in a park
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Members of the East Side Longos, affiliated with the Mexican Mafia, pose together in a parkCredit: Getty Images
Female affiliates of the West Side Longos hang out in the city of Wilmington
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Female affiliates of the West Side Longos hang out in the city of WilmingtonCredit: Getty Images
Malditos members tag up a park bench with roster of current members
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Malditos members tag up a park bench with roster of current membersCredit: Getty Images
The ESL broke away from the WSL after internal fighting between different areas
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The ESL broke away from the WSL after internal fighting between different areasCredit: Getty Images
An ESL gang member rolls up his shirt to reveal the gang tattoo
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An ESL gang member rolls up his shirt to reveal the gang tattooCredit: Getty Images
Members of the Malditos clique sit in a park and hold up a shirt with the gang's name printed on the back
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Members of the Malditos clique sit in a park and hold up a shirt with the gang's name printed on the backCredit: Getty Images
A new recruit is forced to test his nerve by fighting one-on-one against a veteran gang member
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A new recruit is forced to test his nerve by fighting one-on-one against a veteran gang memberCredit: Getty Images
Two veterans of the Malditos clique of the East Side Longos throw their gang signs in a park
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Two veterans of the Malditos clique of the East Side Longos throw their gang signs in a parkCredit: Getty Images
The East Side Longos form a large Mexican-American gang rooted in the Hispanic community along Anaheim Street in Long Beach, California
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The East Side Longos form a large Mexican-American gang rooted in the Hispanic community along Anaheim Street in Long Beach, CaliforniaCredit: Getty Images

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