Former US crime kingpin sentenced to 218 years

Pierre Mercado, a former leader of US' notorious Asian Boyz gang, was sentenced Friday to 218 years in jail by a Los Angeles judge.

Mercado, 38, was sentenced after he was found guilty on charges of four killings, five attempted murders and two kidnappings committed in what the gang called the "summer of madness" in 1995 in an attempt to make it the most feared gang in Los Angeles, said Deputy District Attorney Hoon Chun.

While most of other crime groups desired to make money through drug trafficking, the Asian Boyz was committed to burglaries and robberies, Chun said, adding that Mercado was the last member of the crime group to be put on trial, reported Xinhua.

The Asian Boyz is an Asian American street gang formed in 1985 by Cambodian youths in southern California. Its branches spread across the US.

Mercado, along with his older brother Marvin Mercado - who was also a key gang member, fled to the Philippines shortly after the violent activities. They were arrested in 2007 and brought back to Los Angeles to stand trial.

Marvin was convicted of eight murders and last year received eight life sentences without the possibility of parole.